Incertitude
by Dokeshisan
Summary: The sequel to Dissimulation. Marx wakes up again in the afterlife and meets a new person. She promises to help him escape, but will she also cause complications in his life?
1. Trapped

**A/N: Hey, hey, hey! It's here. Yes, IT (and no, not the weird clown alien thing). The sequel to Dissimulation! For those of you who read this and are like 'ZOMG, I don't wanna read another story…' I'll give a brief description:**

**Dee, a waddle Dee, found Marx and saved his life. They become friends etc. and I added an OC, Nikki. Then Dark Matter come and start to attack Dreamland, led by Drawcia (Don't ask). Then you can just read the last chapter and epilogue to get the rest.**

**BTW, this takes place as Kirby's epic yarn is happening. Or, the first part anyway.**

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1

Trapped

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_They're happy without you._

I shook my head and opened my eyes. I was in that place again. Where immense darkness blanketed the whole room. I couldn't see anything, so I didn't know who was talking to me. The room itself had no shape or size. It was never ending yet it made me feel claustrophobic. It confused me and confusion really pissed me off.

_Here you are, missing them. But they live on without you. How sad._

"Okay, that was creepy. Is that what you were aiming for?" I shouted at the top of my lungs. It hurt my throat.

A being materialized in front of me. She was much taller I was and wore clothes like a witch. She also had that witch hair, the messy stuff, y'know? "Ooooh, you're even cute here! Isn't this fun? We're going to be alone _forever_." she cackled.

"Oh yay, I get to see your ugly face for the next…forever." I started to cry. I didn't mean to. I didn't even feel sad, it just happened.

"Why are you crying?" she asked in a flat voice.

I scowled. "Screw you! You just ripped me away from someone who _loved _me and you wonder why I'm sobbing my eyes out!"

"Don't be dramatic," Drawcia sighed, "I love you too anyway. You're a very lovable person!" she sat down next to me on the floor (if there was a floor) so I got up and sat across the room.

Everything grew quiet so I laid down and forced my eyes to close. A feeling of complete hopelessness washed over me and I cried again in an attempt to ease the pain. After a while I felt really tired and fell asleep.

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I woke up to the sound of complete nothingness. My head hurt so much I wished it would explode and end my suffering. I looked around, but couldn't find Drawcia. I got up and searched for a while. I didn't find anyone so I let out a sigh of relief. That was when I realized I wasn't in the world of darkness anymore. It was more like a forest with pure white trees packed together tightly. It was even creepier than the other place.

"Yeah, you're finally awake!" something hit my head. I saw that it was a broomstick. A broomstick…

A girl hopped over my head and landed in front of me. She looked like an onion wearing a witch's hat and shoes way too big for her body. A tuft of green hair peeked out of her hat, matching her eye colour. "So little purple guy, what do people call ya?"

"If you're asking for my name…you can call me Nonab."

She was sceptical. "Nonab? What kind of name is that? It's nerdy and stupid!" she burst into laughter. I made a creepy grin, hoping to scare her.

"My name is actually Marx," I drew up close to her face, "What's your's?"

"I'm Grill!" Grill smacked my face by accident (I think), "I know you from somewhere…weren't you the guy who wanted to rule Pop Star? You _suck_."

I felt the blood drain from my face. Was I always going to be greeted like that? I shook the thought out of my head and gave her that creepy smile again. "I don't know who you are, so I guess you suck more. Am I right?"

She shrugged. "Whatev. We need to go home. I have to show my people I'm okay! I only got you here because you looked pathetic. I guess ya need to get back too, huh?"

"Nah, I'm perfectly fine living in the world of the dead. Of course I want to get out of this dump!" I stuck my tongue out, biting it in the process. I swore loudly and Grill hit me with her broom again.

"So who're you going home to? Friends? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Parents? Clones?" she laughed. Her happiness sickened me.

"My best friend…who is also my girlfriend-ish…" I squinted at nothing while I thought, "it's complicated."

Grill grabbed me and dragged me along as she walked. "Then let's get going! We need to travel through all five levels of the Time Gap. Right now we're in level four, for those who commit petty crimes. I was in level three when I first came but I needed someone else to escape with or else I wouldn't be able to. So I chose you!"

"Oh joy," I mumbled, "I get to travel with Miss Cheer the onion. Hooraaay, such excitement…I can't keep it in…"

"Wow, you're pessimistic. I pity your girlfriend," she stopped walking and dragging me, "I forgot how to get out of here. Darn."

"What's the Time Gap?"

"It's where people go when they die. I guess you can compare it to the heaven and hell thing. The 'God' is a creature who travels through dimensions and has the ability to grant wishes." she spoke as she pulled me.

I stood up and grabbed Grill's hat with my mouth, running away with it. She chased after me and beat me with her broom stick. The beating halted suddenly and she took to staring at me. I got up and stuck my tongue out while going wall eyed, trying to break her concentration.

"What's with that? It's freaky, no offence." She continued walking and I followed. I wanted to talk some more, but I know she wouldn't like to.

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We wandered for a few hours through the woods of endless white trees. Neither of us said anything for so long it was beginning to send chills up my spine. My desire to speak kept growing until I couldn't take it anymore. "What happened to Drawcia, the old witch lady I was with?"

Grill turned to look at me. "What? Oh her! Yeah, she pretty much handed you over. I can't tell you why. She seemed pretty protective of you when I first came."

"Oh," I wasn't sure what else to say so I shut up again. We kept going until she pretty much passed out near one of the many white trees, "Are you alright?"

She shook her head and patted the white ground next to her. "Let's just rest here for a while. We'll start again when one of us wakes up. Okay?" I sat down about ten feet away at another tree. I didn't want to get too close to her. We were only together to escape. After that we would go our separate ways and I didn't want that to hurt.

I heard a light snoring sound coming from Grill. A wave of fear flooded my body and I closed my eyes. The witch scared me. She could be anything. I didn't know and, to tell the truth, I didn't want to either.

I laid down and took a deep breath. I needed to get home. This strange girl, Grill, I had to cooperate with her to achieve this. It was the only way. I growled at nothing in particular and opened my eyes again to see a tall white tree towering above me (big surprise). A leaf fell off and landed on my face. I blew it away and decided to get some sleep.

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**A/N: That was painfully short yet a lot happened. I added Grill. Mainly because she's so cute XD! Yay, go Grill! **

**Urrgh, writing in Marx's pov was hard. I dunno why…I welcome the challenge though! I also want to say…I may have some Grill/Marx in here. One sided (on Grill's half) because Marx is still with Dee. **

**Please review. Just tell me what you think! No flames though!**

**Marx: Dokeshisan doesn't own anything and yadda yadda yadda. It's all property of HAL lab except the plot and the Time Gap.**


	2. Is Anyone Who They Seem To Be?

**Author's note: Had a hard time coming up with an idea for this chapter…that angers me! **

**From here on out, most chapters named after song lyrics. This one's from Jacques Cousteau by Swimming With Dolphins. It's my second fave by them! (first being Sunset 1989)**

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2

Is anyone who they seem to be?

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I opened my mouth before my eyes. A word came out but I can't remember what it was. I shook my head and sat up, finally awake. I looked around and saw only the white trees and ground. I groaned and curled into a ball to the best of my abilities. This wasn't a nightmare; this was really happening to me. I was stuck here in this empty world of nothing. There was no escape.

"Are you alright? You look cold," something hit my head gently and I realized it was Grill with her broomstick, "Come on, get up. We have to keep going."

I stood up and glared at her. "Where are we going anyway? You said you had no clue yesterday."

"Huh? Good point," she looked deep in thought for a moment, "We can't just keep walking forever. I suppose going up is the only option."

"You mean flying? Oh god, I don't wanna." I slammed back down onto the ground, hurting myself. At first there was complete silence, then Grill began to walk into the forest.

"Okay," she sighed, "I guess you don't want to get out of here any time soon then. That's too bad. I thought you actually cared about getting home to your girlfriend." she climbed onto her broomstick, which was tucked behind a tree, and began to float up to the sky.

I growled loudly in anger. She turned around and stuck her tongue out at me. "That's childish…" I murmured.

"Just get on the broom. Unless you have some other idea, genius," Grill hovered over and grabbed my head violently, "You probably do, don't you? And it'll be better than anyone else's because that's just how you think! Get a life. Oh wait, we're dead! Then it would just be best for you to shut up!"

A few tears welled up in my eyes. I struggled free and took a few steps away from Grill. "Go away! Why are you trying to hurt me?

She looked shocked for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I lost myself being angry. Um, just get on." she gestured to the back of the broom and I hopped onto it.

We were silent as the broom flew up into the air. Despite the feelings between us it was actually an enjoyable experience. The wind hitting my face was very refreshing and tasted of strawberries for some reason. I opened my mouth to comment on this but Grill scowled at me. I let out a sigh and looked at the ground, deeply regretting my choice.

"Holy crap! How high are we? Don't lose control or fall! NO!" I squeezed my eyes shut and heard a groan from the witch in front of me.

"You're different than what I've heard. I expected you to be a bit bigger and tough, but you're more like a little kid!" Grill smiled back to me. I wasn't sure how to respond. When Dee told me that it made me feel happy, but I think Grill meant it in a cruel way. Or maybe not. I couldn't tell.

"I expected you to be ugly too, that's what some people said," she continued, "So I guess you've surprised me in a lot of ways. You don't look or act like you're reputation, if I'm allowed to say that."

I peered at her. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't you be allowed to say that?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe you like being seen as dangerous or something. I don't wanna offend you or anything!" she laughed as I watched her, annoyed. The laughter stopped, "You're pretty moody though. I can say that."

The silence started again and I studied the sky, not wanting to look down. It was all white, just like the ground. At the speed we were flying we should've been out of this world by now. This puzzled me, so I tried to shove it out of my mind.

"Why aren't you talking? You were pretty animated yesterday." Grill turned to face me on the broomstick. I screamed hysterically.

"You need to steer! LOOK! We're going to fall! FALL!" My eyes shut again. I felt something on my forehead. I looked to see Grill, who was obviously frustrated.

"When we get out of here I'm going to act like I don't know you," she spun back around and grasped the broom handle, "If anyone asks we aren't 'friends' or anything like that, 'kay?"

Again, I wasn't sure what to say. After some time I decided to change the subject. "You said I look good."

"What? No I didn't." she stated flatly. I looked away and sighed. She obviously didn't catch it, "Oh wait, you mean by saying you aren't ugly?"

"Yeah," I nodded and grinned wide, "That was really nice to say."

She shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't mean to compliment you. My mistake." I was about to argue when the sky suddenly changed colour. I gasped at the blue waves moving in a psychedelic pattern around the new sky. I felt extremely dizzy and nearly fell off the broomstick. Luckily Grill caught me before I could.

"Be careful," she warned as I steadied myself on the broom again. I then looked down, which I once again regretted. Ignoring my racing heart, I saw that small huts were scattered on the rainbow coloured hills.

"What's with the houses? And why is everything so colourful? Isn't this supposed to be punishment?" I questioned. Grill turned around to me with a tired expression on her face.

"You don't know anything…of course this is punishment!" she sighed, "The colours confuse people and they get lost. Just like the fourth and fifth level. Anyway, the houses are really torture rooms."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "Really?"

"Of course not! You're so gullible," she giggled and gave me a noogie. I blushed in spite of myself and looked at the little specks (obviously people) on the ground. They were wandering, just like Grill said.

The broom pointed down and we began to fly in that direction. We were so fast that the flight was short and we pretty much bounced off the ground. I stood up and laughed. Grill followed, wiping off herself. She straightened her hat and picked up the broom.

"Sooo, how do we get out of here? Any ideas?" I grinned after saying these sentences.

Grill studied our surroundings intently. I did the same, not seeing anything I hadn't seen from the air. "Huh. I don't know. Since when are you happy, anyway? You've been grumpy for the past hour or so. Or whatever time they go by here."

I opened my mouth to answer but forgot what I was going to say. So instead I just offered her the most endearing expression I could conjure. She rolled her eyes and pulled me along by my hat.

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A fire burnt next to the two of us. Apparently night fell in this level, unlike the others. It wasn't just dark either, it was cold as hell. So Grill and I were forced to stop and try to keep ourselves warm. After thinking for some time, we agreed on the fire, which took even longer to make. Once it was done it was still freezing and we (awkwardly) snuggled into each other for warmth. I'm not sure if I was hallucinating, but Grill seemed to enjoy this. I didn't. No, not one bit.

"Can you not hug me like that?" I hissed, "It's kind of uncomfortable."

She pulled away a bit and just sat close to me with no physical contact. Silence engulfed us once again and I growled, attempting to break it. Grill didn't respond so I figured it would be alright to just think. That was what I needed more than anything, some time to think things through.

"I want to know more about you," Grill spoke suddenly, "can you tell me about yourself, Marx?"

"Oh, uh," I laughed nervously, "do you mean basic things? Like my birthday and stuff? If that's it then February tenth, which makes me an Aquarian if you were wondering. Um, my favourite colour is purple and my IQ is 147 I think..?"

She shook her head and placed her hands near the fire as if trying to warm them. "No, I meant about your life. About who you are and why you chose what you wanted to do. To make it easier, why did you want to take over Pop Star?"

I gasped and my face turned red. This was something I didn't want to talk about, especially to a complete stranger. To tell the truth, I didn't know the answer myself. It could've been any number of things. Maybe it was just pure selfishness, which would embarrass me. I bit my lower lip while I tossed this thought around in my mind.

"Aren't you going to answer? I guess not," Grill laid back and closed her eyes, "That's okay if you aren't ready to talk about it. I think I can understand."

The fire cracked loudly. I jumped, startled by the sudden noise. "Why can't we talk about you? You seem like an interesting person." I took a deep breath and smiled. It wasn't a real smile but it could pass as friendly, at least.

"Not really," she sat up again, "I just spend my time with my friends and we're all happy and stuff. Where I come from star stacking is a popular sport and there are competitions. I won a bunch of them and then I came to Pop Star to challenge Kirby, but he beat me. After that, me and my friends were staying in Dreamland to do some sight seeing but I got in an accident and died."

She seemed to be depressed about this. To tell the truth, I didn't think it was that bad. As long as she could escape it didn't really matter. "Your friends must have loved you a lot to follow you to another planet. Were they passionate about this 'Star Stacking' too?"

Grill stood up with a happy expression. "No! No one is as passionate about that as me! I love everything about it! When you've eliminated so many star blocks that you feel like you can't do it anymore…then the one you're competing against starts to beat you! So this determination gathers in your stomach and…" I shut my eyes and stopped listening. What she was saying didn't matter one bit to me. She was getting carried away and off topic.

"Hey, are you even listening?" she poked my cheek, "Did you fall asleep or something?"

"No, I'm not listening. I don't really care what you're talking about. It bores me."

Grill's jaw practically dropped. "How could you say that? I don't think I've met anyone so rude!" she crossed her arms and looked away from me as if I was a pile of dirt, "What are you passionate about, then?"

"Nothing. I have a variety of interests in every subject. I guess you could just call me extremely intellectual." I grinned, feeling like I beat her somehow. She groaned.

"Please get off your high horse. I doubt you're that smart," We were both silent for a long time. It was because of these awkward quiet times you could tell we weren't good friends. What we talked about was only a way to make this bearable. Otherwise this would be horrible, "Why are you always different? It's hard to keep track of your personality. It's like sometimes you're a bit antsy and shy, then you're angry, then sad, and after that really happy and cheerful and now you're just being obnoxious and rude. It makes no sense."

My cheeks flushed with anger. "I guess I'm not allowed to change moods then, am I? I should just stop feeling emotions and express nothing. That's what you want isn't it? I HATE YOU!" I stood up and shouted at her.

"You don't need to be mad at me, I didn't say you needed to stop feeling. Do you have to make everything worse than it really is?" Grill placed her hand on my forehead reassuringly. It was warm and my cold body was shocked by the heat.

"I'm sorry," I murmured as my eyes became wet with tears. I took a deep breath and wondered why I was crying.

She wiped my eyes for me and smiled pleasantly. I punished myself for thinking about how cute she looked. "It's alright. You're lucky I won't hate you for all eternity. Instead, I'm going to talk to you about Star Stacking all night!"

I laughed nervously. "Yeah, yeah, funny! Wait, you weren't kidding, were you?"

"Nope, I wasn't!" she snickered. I leaned back and tried to ignore Grill as she spoke. After wondering what it was I was doing before this conversation, I remembered I was going to have a good think about everything. I yawned, shaking my head. I was too tired to do anything and I found myself falling asleep. I hoped for good dreams, because I needed those now more than anything.

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**Author's note: End of chapter two! I hoped you liked it, I really struggled. I just got stuck on ideas (as mentioned earlier).**

**So, I'll start the next chapter soon. This, the levels in the time gap, won't take long (say 5 or 6 chapters). After that…well you'll see. **

**Arigato for reading! ^^**


	3. I Regarded the World as Such a Sad Sight

**Author's note: Hey! How ya doing? Well anyway, the next chapter is here. I don't need to tell you this...ah well! I enjoyed writing this chapter for no reason. As for the title, it's from Dear Vienna by Owl City (love every song by him). **

**And arigato to ChaoCream for reviewing! The owl thanks you especially! (OvO)**

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3

I Regarded the World as Such a Sad Sight

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"GRIIIIIIIILL!"

Grill was tackled by small witch like thing holding a miniature broom. It was beige in colour with no facial features at all. Grill shoved the little thing off and smiled. "Hey, it's been a while hasn't it?"

I couldn't come up with anything to say that sounded smart, so I stayed silent. The tiny witch's species had a name, but I couldn't figure it out. It was there in my mind though I just couldn't reach far enough to get it. Was it Broom Hatter..?

"Marx!" I jumped at the sound of Grill's voice, "This is Lilura. She's a friend of mine. Lilura, this is Marx. He's a kind psychopath who's helping me escape."

Lilura waved to me. "Hello young sir! I like your bowtie, it's very cute!"

I laughed even though Grill just acknowledged I was a psycho (which I'm not). "Thank you, I'm glad someone's nice enough to give me compliments." This was directed at Grill, who glared at me after the words left my mouth.

"So Lily, now that I have a partner we can escape, right? How do we do it?" she asked. Lilura walked over to me and began to study my face.

"Do you have a good reason to get out of here? Because if you don't _it_ won't let you go," she started poking me on my right cheek until it stung.

"Ow! Why are you poking me? Stop that!" she stopped and I let out a sigh, "Now to answer your question, yes I do have a good reason to go back. My girlfriend is waiting for me and I promised to come home as soon as could. I miss her too…"

Lilura stared at me, then at Grill and back to me. "What a heart touching story, and coming from someone with such a sweet face. Unfortunately I just can't bring myself to believe it. You seem like the type who tells lies."

My jaw dropped in disgust and surprise. "Wh-what's that supposed to mean? Are you saying she doesn't exist? I can tell you all about Dee if you want! If that's not it…why don't you come and meet her? She's a good person! She takes care of everyone and puts herself last and…and she's amazing…" I began to cry so I turned away from Lilura.

"There's no need to cry about it," Grill chuckled coldly, "I know you miss her but you don't have to do some big emotional display."

Everyone grew quiet as I dried my tears. I then looked at Lilura, who seemed pleased. "Good. You've passed this test with flying colours. I conclude you're a kind person who cares for others." She picked up her tiny broom and swept the ground while humming pleasantly.

"Test? TEST? You were testing me? You mean that I cried for no REASON?" I spit on the ground and she swept over it, "Whatever, just tell us what we need to do, asshole."

Lilura was silent for a few moments as she continued with her sweeping. "Today you must raise the bonds between each other. Without a strong connection you won't be allowed to escape. That's all for now."

"What?" Grill yelled, "you're kidding right? While we travel we'll become better friends so we don't need to stop now, do we?"

"If that's how you feel, then I suggest you visit the elderly woman living in that hut over there," Lilura gestured to the tiny building next to us.

Grill waved goodbye and forced me to move along by pushing me with her broom. She was walking backwards, however "Thank you Lilura, have a nice afterlife!" she turned around and we kept going. The distance looked short from our first perspective, though it was actually quite a long way. It must've been because space was warped there.

"Who exactly is Lilura, anyway?" I asked, wanting to start a conversation. The awkward silences were more annoying then they used to be and I just had to break this one.

Grill shrugged. "I don't really know. She's some old witch who died trying to steal a powerful spell book. I don't know all the details, but apparently it was pretty gruesome," she shuddered at the thought, "Anyway, she isn't talented or anything and she likes sweeping. Goodness knows why, but I think it's something everyone in her species like. She's a really nice person when you get to know her."

"Wait, you said 'old.' Isn't she younger than us?"

"Um, no. She's just smaller," she giggled and hit me on the head with her broomstick, "Idiot. Do you know anything?"

I paused, then laughed along with her. "Yeah, I guess that is pretty stupid…but hey, she referred to the woman in this hut as 'elderly.' Doesn't that make her young? That means you lied!"

"Lilura is young compared to the person in there. Apparently they died when they were around one hundred," Grill stopped before the house and examined it closely, "I guess we should knock first, huh?"

"No, we need to enter creatively!" I shouted a bit too loudly, "Like, through the window or something." I strolled over to the blacked out window in the back of the house. It was actually quite large and the two of us could probably fit in a once.

Grill tugged on my hat and I fell to the ground. "I don't really want to waste time you know. I'm starting to doubt you even want to go home to your girlfriend."

"Of course I do, but the two of us go separate ways once we escape. So I want to spend as much time as possible as I can with you! Don't you want to be with me longer?" I got up and tilted my head sideways. I knew I could use this technique (since I was a little kid) to get whatever I wanted, whether my victim was male or female.

"Damn you cute Gods for lending this boy your power," she muttered under breath, thinking I couldn't hear, "Just do what you want, but I'm not being part of it!"

I shoved my face close to hers. "Are you sure? I thought for a second we were actually becoming friends. Was I wrong..?"

Grill's cheeks flushed bright red as I stood back, laughing cruelly. She took a step toward the window and placed her hand on it. "So what are we going to do? Should we break through this or something?"

"Well, that would cause a commotion or…what the hell, let's do it!" I grabbed Grill's broom with my mouth and smashed the window. It shattered to pieces and I jumped in, followed by Grill who violently took her broomstick back from me.

"Seriously Marx? You broke a window with your mouth? You're a tough little-"

"You didn't knock," a sweet feminine voice spoke, "it's very rude to break into one's house."

Both Grill and I turned to the girl who spoke while she lit a candle. She looked like a fairy seen on Ripple Star and I felt like I met her before. Was it…no, that was… "Peachy! That lady running the hot air balloon lot! You're the spitting image!" I shouted. The fairy smiled.

"Yes, she's my great grand daughter! I'm impressed on how far she's gotten, isn't she just adorable too?" she chuckled a cute little laugh, "Oh, my name is Josephine by the way. I'm happy to meet you two!"

"We're happy as well," Grill bowed low, "My name is Grill, a witch, and this is my ally Marx, a talented magician."

I laughed at the label she gave me. "Yeah, yeah, enough with the introductions. We need to see a kind old lady. She's telling us how to get out of here."

"Well you see Mark…that would be me! To explain further my body is eternally youthful here as an award for being a good person in life!" Josephine tucked some loose hair behind her ear. She really was just like her great grand daughter, except for the fact that her hair was a soft green and longer.

"My name is _Marx_ and we need you to tell us what to do. We really don't belong here and need to get home, so just help us and we'll leave you alone. Alright?" I stared at her expectantly as she just floated in the air with a cheerful expression on her face.

Grill poked me with her broomstick before I could say anything else. "So Josephine, why are you here in this world if you're a good person?" she asked. I couldn't figure out why she was postponing our escape.

Josephine seemed shocked for some reason. "You don't know? Well that's only expected. See, I want to continue to do good here in the afterlife too, so I talk to other spirits and they are allowed to move to the next level. I do it in this one for those in the last two cannot change without a miracle. I'm afraid I'm just not that miracle." She let out a disappointed sigh.

"I see," I thought out loud, "so that's why Lilura told us to come to you. She knows you can get us to the next level!" I felt as if I just solved a great mystery, though it was actually pretty obvious.

"Lilura? Ah yes!" Josephine nodded, "well since a good friend of mine recommended you, I should get started!" she flew over to me and placed a small hand on my forehead. I laughed for no reason at all. It wasn't funny or anything, I just felt like laughing.

"What's going on?" Grill asked as Josephine shoved me to the floor, "Hey! Don't push him like that! He's fragile!"

"I am?" I stood up, wondering why she said that, "I can't remember ever being fragile."

Grill opened her mouth when Josephine put both of her hands on the witch's head. They were both quiet for some time until Josephine pulled away from her. "Yes, I can let both of you proceed. However, Marx has a choice to make at this moment."

"Choice? What do you mean?" I paused, deep in thought, "Hey wait, why didn't you throw Grill to the ground like me?"

Josephine ignored me and turned to Grill. "There are two more levels before this. Grill, you can enter the next one with my help but Marx can enter the one after that. That level is exclusively for heroes and he has worked very much since the last time to be a better person. Therefore, because of the love and care in his heart, he is allowed there."

"Wow, so he's a good guy," Grill didn't even look at me as she said this, "Does this mean I can't go there with him, like, ever?"

"Not on your own, so now he must choose to either help you there or just leave by himself." Josephine looked to the floor and sniffed. There was really no reason for her to cry.

"Um, why are you talking about me like I'm not here?" I asked flatly, "I mean, I can hear everything you're saying."

They both looked in my direction. "Ah yes, we're very sorry," Josephine sighed and placed her right hand over her heart, "so Marx, please make your choice."

"That's easy, I want to stay with Grill and help her escape too. I don't know how, but I'll try!" I smiled at no one in particular.

Grill looked ready to faint from pure happiness. "You'd really do this for me? But that's so sweet! It's like you love me more than your girlfriend…" she was about to hug me but stopped herself for some reason.

"Okay then, please come here and I'll let you go there." We both nodded and followed Josephine's orders. She whispered something and everything around us began to transform into light. I gasped after realizing we were the ones turning into light and not the things around us. I squinted at the figure shaped like Josephine. It waved before disappearing. I turned to Grill, who was smiling happily back at me.

"You're wrong by the way," I muttered loud enough for Grill to hear, "I could never love you more. I'm only doing this to be a good person. So if you think there's any chance that I could actually like you, then you're wrong."

She gave me a shocked expression and was about to reply when we collapsed onto something hard. I looked up to see we were in a field filled with people picking flowers. A few scarfies were floating around the people and even cuddling into them. It was actually quite a pretty place.

"Wow, this is so nice," Grill said in awe, "I want to come here when I die the next time!" she got up and stretched her arms before picking up her broom.

"Yeah, it's cool," I stood up as well. We weren't actually in the field but more just on the outside. No one seemed to notice us at all, so I began to walk away from the field. Without questioning my actions Grill followed me.

* * *

We travelled quite a long way before resting. It was silent for more time and I found myself staring intently at the ground. I didn't know where we were at all. It had the same terrain as the field but with a few trees. It too was beautiful.

"So, I guess you'd have to be a good person to come here huh?" Grill tried to start a conversation. I just nodded in response which made her frown, "Did it really bother you that much, what I said earlier?"

"Doesn't matter," I stated simply. She shrugged and looked away from me.

After some more time passed, Grill decided to speak again. "I don't like you though. No offence or anything, you just aren't the type of guy I like." She smiled and looked as if she was actually sorry.

"Good," there was another silence after I said this but it wasn't awkward. To tell the truth I wasn't sure if I meant that. Maybe I wanted her to love me in that way. Still, it didn't matter. That would complicate things and only stupid people get caught up in these love triangles. I wanted to look at these people and laugh at them, saying how sad they were. I could never be part of it.

* * *

**Author's note: Two OCs and the mention of another I used in Dissimulation…cool XD! And the scarfies, I just ADORE scarfies! They're cute and freaky all at once! Go scarfies!**

**Okay, thanks for reading. I look forward to the next chapter (I hope you do too!)**


	4. Until I Viewed It in Black and White

**Author's note: I'm rushing this a bit, right? Um, I'll try to slow down…I just wanted this to happen fast XD! You'll see what I'm talking about soon. I dunno, but I really like this story. Not as much as Dissimulation but hmm…I'm having idea problems with this one. Still, please review.**

**This Lyric is also from Dear Vienna (right after the last).**

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4

Until I Viewed It in Black & White

* * *

Apparently night fell in the second world, like the third. It wasn't quite as cold and we weren't prepared at all. So we spent the night suffering, cuddled close to one another. This wasn't the most comfortable position but it was all we could do.

"I was thinking about what Lilura said. Why do we need a strong bond? That makes no sense," I turned to Grill, who was probably just about to fall asleep. I was annoying her which pleased me greatly.

"I guess. Don't ask me," she growled angrily. I stuck my tongue out at her, "I saw that."

"Saw what?" I asked innocently. Grill hit me on the top of my head and I giggled, "Sorry, but I guess we're good friends now, right?"

She sighed and squinted at the sky. "It's going to be morning soon. Let's get up and go somewhere. Maybe ask around for a way to escape."

"Yeah, that sounds smart," I stood up and took a step away from her. She didn't seem to notice the distance I was putting between us.

"Okay then, which way do we go..? How about here?" Grill pointed to our right and I smiled expectantly. She began to walk in that direction so I followed her, "What? Are you like a baby chick or something?"

I didn't respond which seemed to annoy her further. We continued walking for a while before she spun around and whacked me with her broom. "Ow! What was that for?"

"I felt like it," she smiled evilly and stopped walking altogether. I studied her face closely until she said something, "Don't stare at me like an idiot."

I kept looking at her while she concentrated on a tree a few feet away from us. I wondered if that was how she really saw me—as an idiot. Maybe I could fix that by showing her how smart I was…though at times I had doubts about my intellect as well.

"Is something wrong? You look perplexed." Grill offered me a kinder smile than earlier. I wasn't sure if she actually cared about me or if she was leading me on so that she could tease me. So I ended up staying silent. She stabbed my side violently.

"Hey! Why do you keep hurting me? You remind me of my girlfriend, she likes causing me pain too," that thought made me very angry. Dee did seem to enjoy hitting and pushing me, as did Grill. That must mean something.

Grill sighed loudly. "Do you have some kind of issues? Your moods keep changing suddenly! It's annoying, so can you please stop?" we were both silent for a while before she added, "I don't mean to offend you or anything, so don't take it that way."

"I understand," I looked down at my feet. I realized my shoes were unnaturally shiny. Maybe this place made everything look better, or did Dee polish them before everything happened? I couldn't remember. It was probably the former but…

"Why are you squinting at your feet? They aren't that small, you know."

I glared at Grill. That was when I remembered something she said yesterday. "Grill! You said that I'm not your type, so what is your type?" I shouted.

"Why are you yelling?" she began to walk so I followed close behind her, "that doesn't matter anyway. Let's just focus on getting out of here."

I nodded and we kept going in silence. The walk was actually quite enjoyable despite the fact that there weren't many words between us. I found it fun looking at everything, though it was hard to believe there weren't many people walking like we were. I figured they probably found their place picking flowers and never wanted to stop. This seemed strange to me. I could never stay in one place for such a long time. That would be boring if nothing was ever gained.

As we neared the edge of another large field at the end of the day I collapsed. It was just too much on my body to walk such a long way without any rest at all. I could barely even breathe.

"Get up. I thought you were supposed to be full of energy, what happened to that?"

I gave her a piercing stare and she jumped in surprise. "I haven't walked that distance in my whole life and you expect me to do it without rest and NOT GET TIRED? What kind of person are you?" my head began to spin so I laid down again.

"I would say sorry but I didn't do anything," she knelt next to me on the ground and stroked by back gently, "what's your problem, anyway?"

"What? Why would you ask something like that?" I turned onto my back to see Grill hovering over me. She touched my cheek and dragged her fingers over to my lips, which her own lips then came in contact with in a kiss. This lasted for a moment before she pulled away with a horrified expression on her face. I scrambled off the ground and ran into the field. A man who was picking only daisies stopped my while giving me a content smile. She patted my head.

"Can you get out of my way please, sir?" I asked. He leaned down and whispered something to me that I couldn't understand. I felt the strangest urge to repeat it so that's what I did. After doing so the man poured his flowers over me and they engulfed my body. I felt a sudden wave of fatigue and hit the ground so hard it hurt. I couldn't move my body at all yet I was still conscious. This sensation was frightening and I wanted to yell or shout, but I couldn't.

"There we go, now I want you to know this is punishment for having any romantic interaction in this level. It is strictly forbidden! I conclude you aren't supposed to be here, no?"

My body was suddenly freed and I screamed at him. "You ass! It wasn't even my fault! And…and of course I don't belong here! I was forced to come to this whole realm before I should even be dead! I need to go home to my girlfriend! That's why I'm here! I need to get to the last level now and—" he placed a hand over my mouth to silence me.

"I see your circumstances and that girl's over there," he said after removing his hand, "I am the one who can get you to the next level. My name is Adlai and I would be pleased to escort you both there."

"Oh," I stood and stared at Adlai. I noticed he was a fairy like Josephine, though his eyes were a deep blue and as was his hair. His face was shaped a lot like Josephine's though…and Peachy's for that matter.

He picked up his basket and shovelled in a few of the flowers with his hand that he lost using the spell. "As you are wondering, I am Josephine's son. This would make me Peachy's grandfather. In this world one of our family members exist in each level so the souls can travel through them, if worthy. My daughter will be waiting for you in the next level as I cannot do this alone. Please collect your friend."

I nodded and ran to where Grill sat. She had her face covered with her hands. "Grill," I whispered, "Josephine's son is helping us to the next level. His name is Adlai and he's really nice. C'mon. I'm not mad at you."

"I'm sorry," she muttered as she took her hands off her face, "I lied. I really like you…a lot…and I can't explain what happened. I'll tell your girlfriend everything when we get back and take the blame! It is my fault after all…"

"Yeah, it is," I laughed, "We kinda have to get there first though. Let's go."

Grill got up and we darted over to where Adlai was waiting patiently for us. He waved as we arrived, taking time to pat the two of us on the head. I wasn't sure what to think about this and was about to ask when he mouthed a few words. The same light as when Josephine used her spell appeared, enveloping us. Adlai didn't wave like his mother; he instead placed his hands in a praying position and bowed. I glanced at Grill who lost consciousness already. I then felt mine slipping as well.

* * *

I opened my eyes and blinked a few times to adjust to the light. I was laying on a platform with a huge set of stairs connecting it to a larger platform. The marble floor was so shiny I could probably see my face in it. I guessed this level was just like one those fantasy 'castles in the sky.' I stood up and looked at Grill who was just waking. She stretched her arms before looking around the room.

"Wow, this place is beautiful. It's even prettier than the last level!" she shouted in surprise. She looked at me and frowned, "I want to explain before we go any further…"

"Explain what?" I asked, being as cheerful as possible. It wasn't fake either. I was actually happy.

Grill took a deep breath and grabbed me violently. "Look, I really like you! I couldn't keep it from you because, well, the world is black and white! You're either someone who can keep secrets or someone who can't, and I'm the last. Just to set everything straight though, I'm going to stay your friend and become your girlfriend's too!"

"Can you let go? You're kinda hurting me," after she let go I shook my head at her, "you shouldn't question my feelings, as you know I can be a tad erratic at times," she nodded and I paused just to scowl at her for this, "ANYWAY, what I'm trying to say is that I'm fine with this. It'll be cool to have two girls liking me! I look forward to it!"

Her mouth dropped open. "So that's why you're happy! You're such a GUY!"

I laughed then stared at Grill coldly. "You actually took that seriously? I was KIDDING! God. Obviously you don't know me that well," I began to walk toward the doorway and this time Grill was the one following, "You're one of my best friends now and I want it to stay like that forever. I hope Dee likes you too!"

Grill gave me a loving noogie, which I guessed was the equivalent to Dee's head pats. "Yeah, we can all be good friends, no matter how idealistic and cheesy that sounds."

We kept walking and conquering the ridiculously high staircases until reaching a platform where there was a small commotion. We ran over and found that a frail looking woman with long blonde hair collapsed on the floor. The people around her parted at our arrival. She raised her head to look at the two of us.

"Yes, father was right," she murmured, "I, as Peachy's mother, greet you both. The power I used to help teleport you has sapped my energy, but please don't worry! I shall be fine! You must both see Nova…now…" her head fell to the floor and she began to snore loudly. The others started to fuss over her.

"Nova? I wonder who the heck…Marx?" Grill poked my face which had a shocked expression plastered all over it. Everything I'd done hit me at that moment and I couldn't take it. All the guilt of the people I affected negatively…everyone I ended up hurting…even Dee. But Nova, I hurt Nova the most. It was forced to die because of me and still kept on granting my wish. I did so many despicable things to it and now I had to face it and ask for forgiveness. This scared me so much! I just wanted to go home and be happy and make other people happy! I wasn't ever going to hurt anyone again!

"Marx, are you okay? You're crying," Grill wiped the liquid falling from my eyes and smiled at me, "I don't know what it is you're crying for, but we have to be brave now! Alright? We're almost there, so you can see your girlfriend again. I bet she'll want to hug you close and never let go, yeah?"

I sniffed and let out a nervous laugh. "Uh-huh, that's just what she's like! Heh, it's like you know her already." I took a deep breath and gave a determined look to the set of stairs ahead of us. They ended in an ominous darkness where Nova dwelled. The thought still scared me, but it was okay. I knew it would be worth it.

* * *

**Author's note: Yay! Marx is being so strong! How SWEET! (has adoring fan moment before snapping back into reality)**

**Anyway, Nova is the God-like figure! It was obvious seeing the description Grill gave in chapter one. **

**Oh, and sorry for the guy stereotype Grill said. I don't mean to offend anyone out there! Heehee, Grill's just a bit prejudiced at times! (again, I'm sorry!)**

**Oh and in mid-chapter when Marx stared at his shoes, he just got totally lost. I mean, usually you do that when you're nervous and you're actually THINKING of what's doing that to you. But Marx…he starts thinking of his shoes. Anyway, just don't criticize that part 'cuz it took away from the story and plot! XD**

**That's it! Review if ya wanna!**


	5. Soon I'll be by Your Side All the Time

**Author's note: Hey, hey, hey! I've noticed Marx is getting a bit OOC, if that's possible. Well, maybe. I can't really tell…**

**Anyway, I'm glad to finish this chapter. It seems my predictions were right, 5 or 6 chapters to escape the time gap! Yeah! Kay, please review (or not).**

**And the title is from Kaze Ni Naru (become the wind). It's the credits song from my fave movie (The Cat Returns). I just used the translated lyrics! (83)-o Nova hopes you enjoy!**

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5

Soon I'll be by Your Side All the Time

* * *

The darkness was intimidating to the point where my teeth were clattering and I accidentally bit my lip. It began to bleed badly so I licked it. I found this didn't help much and only made me more uncomfortable. Though, it tasted rather salty with just a touch of tanginess. After silently punishing myself for being so disgusting, I looked back to the darkness shrouding the stairs. It seemed to move like water and I felt as though I would die if I entered.

"Marx, it would help if you just went in. You're wasting time you idiot."

I spun around and glared at Grill. "I know! I'm just concentrating so I don't have a panic attack when we go in," my eyes suddenly felt wet and my vision was blurred, "but now…now I'm making Dee suffer longer! I'm so sorry! I don't wanna hurt you! NO!" I stepped on the first stair and shook my head. It was still scary.

Grill's hand hit my back, sending me flying. "Hurry **up!**" her voice became warped as we stumbled into the darkness. It swallowed the two of us whole and we were teleported to a small room-like area (I call it room-like because it had no real dimensions).

I studied the place closely. It reminded me of the first level, but with a different feel to it. My eyes darted toward a large looming shadow that was somehow darker than the sea of black around it. I squinted as it took form as a circle and not just a blob. A golden rim outlined the circle and a cat face of the same colour filled the inside. A light shone behind the robotic clock and the mechanisms surrounding its face came into view. I stared at its closed eyes until they opened, turning out to be just a lighter shade than mine.

"Wow, that's amazing…" Grill mouthed, "It looks like something out of a fantasy book! And it's so huge!"

My body became stuck in place. This was probably the worst moment in my life, next to being killed by Kirby. I shut my eyes and began to mumble nonsense in an attempt to calm my nerves.

"MARX," its thoughts reached my mind in a booming voice. I jumped and let out a shriek of terror.

"Hey, calm down!" Grill grabbed me as I started to panic. I kicked and struggled but she wouldn't let me go, "I don't think Nova hates you, but you have to stand still to find out!"

I stopped and looked up at Nova. It blinked and focused on me. "MARX," it repeated, "I DIDN'T HAVE TO."

"Have to..?" my voice an angry whisper. It seemed like Nova wasn't mad at me. Did it forgive me? I was impatient and broke free from Grill's grip, as she still held me, "What do you mean?"

Its eyes closed and it seemed cheerful. "I WAS NOT FORCED TO GRANT YOUR WISH, I CHOSE…AND THEREFORE MY WISH FOR YOU IS NOT TO BLAME YOURSELF FOR WHAT HAS COME OF ME. THAT IS ALL I WANT YOU TO DO FOR ME."

"What?" I felt like fainting from the relief that washed over me, but something was a bit off, "Why would you let me rule Pop Star after all I've done? I'm a horrible person! You shouldn't forgive me! You shouldn't—"

"THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE YOU SHALL AFFECT. IN ORDER FOR YOU TO MEET THERE WAS A PATH YOU HAD TO FOLLOW. MY CHOICE WAS TO EITHER HELP YOU AND OTHERS OR DO NOTHING, SO I CHOSE THE FORMER. AT THIS MOMENT, I CANNOT FORGIVE YOU. THAT IS BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO FORGIVE."

That made a bit more sense in mind that Nova was trying to help others. There was still something missing, but I supposed it didn't matter. That was when I remembered what I was here for. "Nova, can you get Grill and I home?"

Nova seemed pleased that I asked this. "YES, BUT FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I KNEW YOUR PLAN WOULD FAIL, AS I CAN SEE INTO THE PAST AND THE FUTURE. IF I FORESAW IT SUCCEEDING I WOULD NEVER HAVE GRANTED YOUR WISH. I HOPE THAT HELPS ANY DOUBTS YOU HAD."

"How did you know..?" I asked under my breath, laughing after saying so, "Well thanks, so can you help us?"

There was a long silence where only the soft _whrrrr_ of Nova's machine parts could be heard. Its eyes shone for a second before dimming again. "DONE."

Grill and I looked at each other. "What? Nothing happ—EEK!" Grill's body began to disintegrate. I jumped onto her only to disappear too.

* * *

_"AARGH, I can't open it!"_

_ "No, you close your eyes and put your paw in the thingy!"_

_ "Thingy? Okay…oh, this is so wonderful!"_

_ "I made the dolls myself."_

_ "AWWW! That's so SWEET!"_

_ The embrace was warm and full of love. Tears came to my eyes because I felt as though I lived up to her expectations. I knew she loved me and finally felt good enough to live among everyone else. I never wanted it to end, the way she held my body close to hers. It was such a joyous feeling one can't describe. I knew then that's where I would stay, in her arms. I wouldn't leave her and if this happened I would return. We can't be separated…_

_

* * *

_

I opened my eyes and yawned in Grill's face, as she was on top of me. She picked up her broom and hit me with it a few times. I yelped in pain and she laughed at my reaction. After she was a few yards away I remembered my dream. Or a memory, whatever it was. Wasn't that from Dee's birthday? Yes, that was it. I gave her a music box and she was overjoyed. The hug she gave me, it was like her usual hugs but there was something different about it. What was that?

"Marx, stop being stupid and get over here! We finally made it! We're home!" Grill cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to me, "Marx, are you listening to me? You can see your girlfriend now!"

The blood drained from my face and I collapsed without a word. "Dee...but we didn't get to thank Nova…Thank you Nova…"

Grill ran over to my side. "Hey, I'm sure it won't mind. It just wants you to be happy, right? So come on Marx! Let's go to Dreamland!" she tugged me up and along by my hat.

"We're already in Dreamland," I murmured, "It's called 'Whispy Woods' with the ruler by the same name. He's a tree." Grill looked at me as if I lost all sanity. A smirk spread over my face, as I was happy to shock her (whether it was with my knowledge or the fact that this sounded crazy).

"Okay, where's the main village, city or whatever?" she asked. I squinted at the trees, trying to remember. That was when something inside my brain switched on and I began to walk in the direction I felt was right. Grill followed me without question.

We walked for a long distance before exiting the woods. I was surprised Grill didn't question my skills. She actually praised me once we got out and gave me a noogie. This sudden kindness frightened me and I decided that it would be best to just go along with her. After travelling a bit more we arrived at the village (Pupu village I think..?). No one seemed t notice us, which I was grateful for. I hated being unnecessarily crowded.

We wandered through the buildings for a while and didn't see anyone we knew. I had been trying to remember where Kawasaki's restaurant was since we arrived when it finally hit me.

"Grill!" I shouted while biting into her hand, "we have to turn around! I wanna visit my girlfriend at work!" she opened her mouth to respond but I didn't give her a chance. Instead I dragged her with me back through one of the alleyways. I remembered this one was where Dee was almost mugged and I saved her. It seemed like everything here brought back memories.

"Hey, you're stronger than you put on, aren't you? I mean you act all small and frail, but you can drag me around and easily break through windows. That's messed up, no offence." Grill tripped mid-way down the street where Kawasaki's place was situated, "Ow, can you slow down though?"

I smiled cutely, hoping to charm her into forgiving me. "Sorry, we're almost there anyway!" I strolled the rest of the way, as Grill suggested. We reached the front doors of the restaurant and I shoved them open. It was pretty empty, as usual. Chef Kawasaki was calmly handing out dishes at the front counter and I couldn't see Dee anywhere. I walked up to Kawasaki and scowled at him.

"Why hello there!" he greeted, waving happily, "What would you—Marx?"

"So this is Chef Kawasaki…" Grill mumbled, "He sounds like a complete idiot. A nice idiot, but an idiot nonetheless."

I stuck my tongue out at her then turned back to Kawasaki. "Hey, hey, hey! I'm back and this is…Grill. Can you get Dee for me please? Please, please, please, please?"

"Why did you put a pause in front of my name..?" Grill asked in a deadly voice. Kawasaki and I ignored her entirely.

"I thought you were dead!" he crossed his arms and studied me carefully, "well anyway, Dee has a day off today."

"Doh!" I spun around and began to walk out, followed once again by a puzzled Grill, "Thanks Kawasaki!"

We raced past a few pedestrians and shops before finally arriving on the street Dee's house was. I noticed that I was breathing heavily and was exhausted, but I ignored this and kept walking. It was only a small distance until Dee and I were reunited. Only a small…

"Marx, you should take a rest. You're going to faint if you aren't careful," Grill was about to say something else, then she paused, "Wait, why the hell am I worried about you?"

"Just hurry!" I ran ahead and Grill sighed before coming along. I fell into Dee's door with a loud bang. Nothing happened until Grill reached for the doorknob and turned it. I fell inside with another loud bang.

"You're so dumb," she sighed after entering. I stood and began to look around as well. No one was home, obviously, and everything was just like it was before I left. Dee's bed was still in the back of the large round room, right next to the bathroom door. The 'kitchen' was still clean with the table set neatly next to it. I remembered when Nikki came and sat there with us. Ugh, bad memories.

I went over to the bed and sat on it. It still felt like a bed (big surprise there). At this point I realized I didn't have a bath or a shower for a few days now (or brush my teeth or any hygienic things like that). It probably didn't matter seeing as I was pretty much 'dead' during this period.

The door knob started to jiggle and a little Waddle Dee who was even unnaturally small for her kind walked in. She held three or five paper bags full of groceries. Upon laying her chocolate brown eyes on us she dropped the bags and fell to the ground, sobbing and screaming.

"Oh no! I'm hallucinating! I'm so sorry! It's getting to me, I'm going insane!" she tried to pick up the bags but just dropped them again, "This isn't really happening…I'm alone…it isn't REAL!"

I sat next to her and smiled innocently. "Marx is very happy to see Dee. He traveled all the way from the darkest pits of hell to see her. Can Dee cook him something to eat now? Marx is very hungry."

She touched my face in every place and patted my head. "Marx didn't break his promise! Dee is so happy she's going to cry even more!" she did as she said and tackled me with her arms spread wide. I closed my eyes and got comfortable just when she let go, "Marx, I have to tell you something very important and serious now, so be quiet, okay?"

I nodded as she took a deep breath. "Okay Marx, in all seriousness…OMIGOD YOU MUST BE THE CUTEST THING THAT'S EVER WALKED THE EARTH! OMIGOD, OMIGOD, OMIGOD!" she squealed and grabbed me again. I wasn't really sure how to react to this, so I just sat there and let her cuddle me. I noticed Grill was staring at us as if we were a freak show.

"Okay, now that we've gotten that fact established," I sighed once Dee let go of me, "this random witch here is Grill. She helped me get here and she's a very nice person. And Grill, this is Dee. She's my best friend…and girlfriend…I think…"

"What he means is that we don't go by those titles. We just call each other friends, since we aren't really that romantically involved…well, we are but, um, it's complicated." Dee stood up and dusted herself off before hugging Grill, "Thank you. I hope we can be friends!"

"Um, I'm speechless. Do you two really get along this well?" Grill asked. She sounded shocked, which was to be expected.

I giggled. "Not really. We argue a lot and sometimes Dee finds me annoying, but more or less I suppose."

Dee suddenly tackled me again. "OMIGOD! YOU'RE SO CUTE WHEN YOU LAUGH! I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!" she let go and took a deep breath, "Sorry, I'm going to act this way towards everything you do for a while. Just until I get used to your cuteness, alright?"

"He isn't that cute…" Grill stated in a flat voice. Dee just laughed and let go of me.

"Maybe not to you, but I admire everything he does and always will," she kissed my forehead and went over to the kitchen, "I'll make some peanut butter cookies for you both. You must be starving."

Grill walked over to me and sat. "So your girlfriend is a Waddle Dee. She's completely normal and you're a freak. Well that's…"

"Hey! I'm not a—well, yeah I guess I am a freak," I got up and went over to see how Dee was doing. She acknowledged my presence by waving her wooden spoon at me. I snuggled into her side lovingly and she glomped me, saying how adorable I was. To tell the truth I wanted everything to stay this way forever. I knew it needed to change, but I really loved this. It made me happy. It really did.

* * *

"Grill seems nice. She's so cute too!"

I laughed at Dee for saying that. "Yeah, I guess. I'm happy to be home though."

We were sitting in Dee's house (of course) and she was getting the bed ready for herself. I told her I would sleep on the floor until we got another bed. She agreed with this, though reluctantly.

"Marx," Dee mumbled, "I want to tell you everything that's happened since you left, so I'll do that tomorrow. Is that alright?"

I nodded. "Oh yeah, that's just great. I have to tell you something too, though it's probably not what you want to hear right now."

She stopped fluffing her pillow and stared at me. "Okay…wait," she dropped the pillow and bear hugged me enthusiastically, "YOU'RE SO CUTE! EEEEEK!"

I sighed and closed my eyes, snuggling into her once again. She just squeezed me tight until I felt as though I might explode. This really wasn't a good feeling, take my word for it. But somehow I enjoyed this moment, as before, because I knew she would accept me no matter what happened. She would always love me, even if I didn't feel the same.

And in return I would always be by her side.

* * *

**Author's note: I'm worried Dee is a bit of a Mary-Sue. That is, she isn't perfect though. And she isn't exactly an OC. She's like an under-developed character that I've done a bunch of work on. Um, so just tell me what you think. I could always make Marx pair up with an actual canon character if she's a Mary-Sue…like Grill (in spite of myself). ****Nerr, I think Nikki was a Mary-Sue though! I did that on purpose too! XD**

**Oh, Marx's dream is from Dissimulation BTW. I reworded some of it since it was a memory.**

**Heehee, please review, flames shall be ignored (and frowned upon!).**

**(83)-o**


	6. I Feel like I'm Falling

**Author's note: Bonjour! I'm planning on making this longer and (hopefully) more complicated than Dissimulation. I've briefly planned out the later chapters and unless you're actually interested in the relationships going on here, I suggest you leave.**

**Everyone: (leaves)**

**Dokeshisan: That is SO not funny! Get back here! (runs after them) Oh, and the title is from Butterfly Wings by Owl City!**

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6

I Feel like I'm Falling

* * *

"Marx! You need to wake up and face the day bravely! Let the daylight caress your cheeks and relish the breakfast I took time to prepare for you! Be strong and awaken!" a female voice said with a silly, dramatic tone. I realized that it was morning and I was on the cold floor, and with no blankets too.

"Mrrm…what's with that poetic crap?" I opened my eyes and squinted at the orange blur situated above me. It became clear as my eyes adjusted and I growled. Dee, the identity of the blur, threw some toast onto my face, "HEY! What was that for?"

She shook her head. "Please get up or I might have to use force. Marx? Please don't ignore me." She poked me a few times but I didn't reply. There was silence before she returned with her parasol which she proceeded to prod me with.

"DEE! Why is this so important?"

"That's better," she suddenly looked happy and kissed my left cheek, "okay, I said last night I would tell you what you missed out on. Don't you remember?"

I gasped at the memory. It actually excited me. "Okay, I'll go take a shower!" I stood and let out a yawn, then I realized something, "wait, aren't you working today? You had your da—"

Dee covered my mouth while giving me a cheerful expression. "No, Kawasaki called today and told me I should have the day off today as well! He's such a kind soul…though he does have many faults too…"

There was a long silence as Dee thought. "Um, I'm gonna take a shower now…" I murmured. She waved me goodbye so I felt obliged to leave. Silly Dee.

* * *

I couldn't be classified as a morning person or one from the opposite category, unlike most others. It kind of differed from day to day, probably backing up why some would label me crazy. That day felt unusually peppy, probably because I looked forward to my upcoming conversation with Dee. It wasn't just the subject, but also her voice. It was a soft, soothing sound that could put someone to sleep. I'm sure she would make a good mother someday, using that voice to tell her children bedtime stories.

"So where do you want to start?" I asked after my shower. Dee took a mug and filled it with tea while I sat awaiting an answer.

"Well, soon after you were taken by Drawcia, Nikki died," after she said this, my mouth literally dropped open. There was a long awkward silence while Dee sipped her tea a few times, "Apparently she was sick before coming to Dreamland but told no one. That's really sad if you think about it. Oh, and Zero left. He said he wants to travel to Ripple Star and ask for forgiveness. Isn't that sweet of him?"

I was still shocked that Nikki was dead, that she was gone. She would never be there to bug me ever again. We weren't close enough to make me cry, but it was strange to know I may never see her again. I shook the thought out of my mind and smiled sadly. "Yeah, I guess that's nice."

"I was really surprised at him! Also, a wizard came and tried to turn everything into yarn. He reminded me of Drawcia. Anyway, Kirby killed him with the help of some boy named Prince Fluff. I don't know much about it since I'm not well in touch with the others, but that's pretty much what happened when you weren't here!"

"Oh, then I missed a lot," I sighed. I decided not to dwell on the 'Nikki's death' thing and just kept going, "I'm sorry for not coming home sooner. I mean that…"

"Why are you apologizing?" she asked while filling her mug again. I frowned and said nothing. I remembered I needed to tell her something today, but I decided not to. The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel worse than fine or increase any doubts she had in me.

My eyes directed at the window and I tried to identify the butterflies flitting around outside. One of them was huge, I think it was a Queen Alexandra's Birdwing. That was strange for Dreamland. I groaned at the random thought and rested my head on the table. It was cold, refreshing my warm skin. But why was my skin warm? Maybe I was getting a fever. Damn, I didn't have time to get sick.

"Marx? Do you want to see Kirby today? I bet he missed you too," she laughed before noticing how tired I looked. She placed her paw on my forehead, "You're burning up! Oh, I have no medicine for you though…"

We were quiet for a long time. I shuffled my feet nervously under the table. I was used to this with Grill but it just bothered me now. "Why don't you go buy some?"

Dee began to pet my head gently. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? I'll take you with me too" she wrapped her arms around me in what I thought was a hug, but instead she picked me up and threw me over her shoulder.

"Hey! What're you doing? Put me down!" I kicked her a few times but she didn't seem to care at all, "C'mon, I'm the guy here! I should be holding you!"

"But you're sick and have no arms anyway," Dee opened the door and exited our house, humming happily. After walking half a block she placed me on the road, "there, are you happy now? You're heavier than I first thought."

I ignored her last comment, grinning. I scanned our surroundings, stopping at Kawasaki's restaurant. Of course Dee would take us here first, yeah, that made perfect sense. I figured she wanted to talk to Kawasaki or find Kirby first.

"Is Marx okay?" Dee stabbed me and I bit her paw as an automatic reaction, "Ow! Don't bite me! We're just stopping for breakfast, alright? No need to be angry! Goodness!"

I bent my body into a bowing position. This hurt my back, but that was okay. "I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you. Please forgive me, please forgive me for hurting—I didn't mean to!"

"I know," she swung her arms around my body and pulled me along with her toward the restaurant, "you don't need to keep apologizing. It gets irritating after a while. So let's get some food to fill your tummy with!"

I didn't respond at all to Dee (or the fact that she called my stomach something as immature as 'tummy'). She looked to the sky and we entered Kawasaki's restaurant together.

* * *

We turned out spending the whole day at the restaurant. The breakfast was actually quite good, but it had no shape and I didn't recognize it. I would've asked Kawasaki about this, but that would be rude and I might need him some time. I mean, you never know.

Okay, getting back on topic, we sat down for the whole time on a pair of stools. After a while my ass became numb but I didn't complain, just like I didn't ask about the drink. Still, it did feel weird. It made me feel kind of nauseous too.

"Marx, why are you squirming?" Dee asked, sipping the green thing. I didn't notice my own movements until she pointed it out to me,. "Do you have to use the bathroom? It's just over there. I can show you if you want."

I shook my head. "Um no. I'm just tired of staying in one place for too long. Can we get up and go somewhere, please?" My eyes shut for a moment, only so I could open them again filled with tears, "Please, Dee? Pretty please?"

Dee was silent and I started to fear she was going to mega-hug me. I was right. "OMIGOD! HOW CAN YOU LOOK SO ADORABLE ALL THE TIME? EVEN WHEN YOU'RE BEING MANIPULATING! EEEEK!"

I was surprised at first, but ended up laughing. The controlled laughter from being slightly happy wouldn't stop after a while and I was horrified. It started to come out in loud bursts of cackles that made my throat sting. I realized I had no control of it anymore and I fell to the ground, hysterically giggling. My face became hot and the laughing was more like coughing due to lack of air.

Dee was on top of me directly after I fell from the stool. She shook me a few times and I regained control of myself. I sat up to see that the customers were all staring at us. Before saying anything I took a few much needed deep breaths.

"I'm okay!" I smiled and tilted my head slightly, "You don't need to worry! I feel just great! See, all good!"

Her eyes blinked a few times before she hugged me tight. I could barely breathe. "I believe whatever you say then. But are you really sure? That didn't seem normal…"

I rolled my eyes though she couldn't see me. "I'm _fine_. I just laughed, or isn't that allowed anymore?"

"No, I overreacted," this was followed by a head pat, "It's just that you're like my little brother or something and I want to take care of you."

This made me feel safe on some deeper level than I could comprehend. Even if it was from myself I'm certain Dee would try to defend me. I still didn't find it necessary to tell her I just lost control of my emotions and body. I wouldn't want to worry her for no reason. So I wriggled free of her grasp with a reassuring smile on my face. There was no need to scare her. No need at all.

"Dee!" a pink blur appeared seemingly out of nowhere and embraced Dee, "I missed you! Where have you been?" Kirby, the true identity of the blur, giggled and let go of her. He saw me and looked cautious. I couldn't tell you why.

"Hey, hey, hey!" that just flew out of my mouth, I didn't even think about it. Well, it was my catch phrase after all.

It didn't take very long for Kirby to give me a squeeze as well. "Marx! You came home too! Where did you go anyway?"

The warmth in my stomach transformed into a light chuckle. "Don't you remember? Well, you are an idiot…"

"Marx!" Dee snapped, "Be nice to Kirby. He's cute."

"What kind of justification is that…" I whispered. Kirby squeezed me tighter and actually lifted me off the ground, much like I was a teddy bear. This caused me slight pain and I let out a high pitched yelp, "Dee! Save me! DEE!"

She strolled casually over and shoved Kirby away from me. "Kirby, Marx knows how much you love him. And Marx, OMIGOD YOU'RE SO CUTE WHEN YOU'RE FRUSTRATED! YOU'RE CHEEKS ARE ALL PIIIINNNNNK! SO CUUUTE!" now it was Dee's turn to bear hug me. What was with people today?

"Dee," I choked, "I know you find me cute…but please…" she let go and I breathed in a great big breath, "it's like you're trying to kill me." I turned my head away from her direction.

She waved her arms in front of herself. "I'm sorry Marx! Even now I'm resisting but I know…I can…do it! Er, I TAKE THAT BACK!" Dee's tight grip on me was resumed. I grumbled a bunch of curses that she (hopefully) couldn't hear.

"Marx's eyes are bugging out, Dee," Kirby pointed out as he could see the top of my face, being situated behind Dee's back, "Marx, are you okay?"

"Yep," I replied, which sounded more like a squeak. Dee let go of me and patted my head. Now that I thought of it, she did treat me like a younger brother, as she highlighted earlier. This was rather strange and probably wrong on some level.

A memory flew out of nowhere and into my head. "Dee! We came out to get medicine! Don't you remember?"

Dee was shocked before laughing at our idiocy. "Oh yeah! We were getting medicine for you! I almost forgot, and it's so important too," she spun around to face Kirby and explain, "He's getting a cold."

"Oh, I thought it was something else," he snickered after saying this. I was instantly offended, knowing what he meant.

"That isn't..! You shouldn't joke about that kind of thing!" I shouted. We were all silent and the guests in the restaurant still watched us intently.

Dee looked around at the many eyes boring into my skull. She then sighed. "I don't know what you two are going on about, but we're obviously drawing attention. Let's go now Marx, alright?" I agreed eagerly and we said our goodbyes to Kirby. We nearly banged into that blonde girl with the braid thing. I forgot her name. She expressed anger towards us in gestures but we were gone before any words could leave her mouth.

We went to the drug store, of course, which was conveniently located just down the road from Kawasaki's restaurant. Dee announced she would go in alone and ordered me to wait outside. I did as she asked, trying to be as loyal as I could (I was never really good at that, so this was a bit of a challenge).

"Hey," a hand waved in front of my face, snapping me away from my thoughts, "Earth to Marx, do you hear? Can you read me?"

I laughed at Grill, the hand's owner. "Sorry. I'm just waiting for Dee! She's getting medicine for me!" she appeared shocked before I added, "I have a fever."

"Oh right!" she laughed, "I thought that. Hey, I just rented a small house. Do you wanna come see?"

I blinked a few times. In all truth, I wanted to go along with her. It just didn't seem right to leave Dee so fast. She was being too kind for me to be and asshole. "Um, no thanks," I giggled in a sugary sweet tone, "I'm spending today and tomorrow with Dee!"

Grill's expression was disappointed though she just shrugged. "Okay. You aren't her pet dog you know. I mean, you don't have to follow her everywhere."

"Wuh? Of course I know that," I went back to staring off into space. Dee…what was taking her so long? Maybe it was the line up, or maybe something was wrong with the cashier, or it could be that alien cyborgs captured her and were about to eat her brains. I doubted that last one highly. Still, it was possible. If that _was_ the case I could fly after them and beat them badly. That way Dee could see how heroic I really was!

Grill grasped one of the tips of my hat and tickled my cheek with it. My whole body literally froze. "This hat is adorable, where did you get it? It really flatters your face, but then I think everything does." She whispered in my ear.

I laughed at her attempt to flirt with me."Nice try, but there's no way you can charm me with compliments. No matter how much you like me, wishes can never really come true. Sorry to sound harsh, but you're really one of the most unattractive girls I have _ever_ met. I'll never love you back." My line of sight was directed back to the empty road. I could see Grill's face turn red in the corner of my eye.

"You idiot!" she cried, "I hate you and I'll always feel that way! How can you be so cold? You can't even _try _to understand how I feel for you! I don't deserve this!" the force of her hand hit my cheek and I jumped away in surprise. It wasn't a playful punch like she would usually give me; it was a fully fledged smack in the face. It stung so much I could barely even move my mouth or face. Grill seemed to be shocked by her actions as well and sprinted away, sobbing.

My cheek was throbbing violently. I figured a bruise would form there, unfortunately. I didn't mind bruises, cuts or anything like this; it was mostly just the guilt that got to me. The fact that a friend of mine now despised even looking at me broke my heart into little pieces. Maybe it was because of what happened before with Kirby.

I fell to the ground and exhaled a bit too loudly than intended. Hopefully she would forgive me someday, but it seemed like until then I'd have to live without her. Good thing this wasn't a hard task.

* * *

**Author's note: Seems just as Marx comes home his life is crumbling somewhat. Not just Grill's anger either, but it seems like his sanity is slipping. Poor little thing! This **_**is **_**part of the plot though. You shall see…(evil Marx-like laughter is heard) **

**Well, no one is really reviewing…but that's okay! I'm not a review-hungry person, so yeah. I just got into the habit of asking constantly! ;)**

**This chapter was a bit all over the place, but next time it'll be more organized. And since it's February tenth soon anyway…you know who's birthday it is! XD**

**Farewell 'till then! **


	7. Someday Soon

**Author's note: Please enjoy, friends (or enemies)! This title isn't from a song…I think…mainly 'cuz I'm only listening to video game remixes and can't come up with anything. So yeah. ^^'**

* * *

7

Someday Soon

* * *

As I guessed, the place where Grill hit me turned into a bruise. Dee was fussing over it, even before she knew who gave the wound to me. I lied at first, saying I fell down, but she saw right through it. So I started from the beginning, telling her how Grill kissed me while we were still in the 'Time Gap' (which I also explained to her). It all kind of came out then, everything that happened in that place. She listened carefully, comforting me when she deemed appropriate.

Once I finally finished describing everything, even yesterday, I broke down and cried. Dee didn't do anything to help me so I just tried hard to stop on my own. When I was finished Dee looked ticked. My face grew warm with embarrassment and fear she would reject me. Rejection...

"Marx, I'm not angry at you," she explained, placing her arms around my body. This was quite easy as we sat on her bed, "I'm angry at Grill for making you feel stress, but besides that I'm fine. So don't cry, alright?"

I grew limp in her arms and felt like taking a nap. "I'm sorry. My emotions are all over the place sometimes. It probably frustrates you." I looked at her expectantly but she just cuddled me like I was a plush toy.

"Nope! I think it's adorable. Oh, and guess what tomorrow is? You were the one who told me, so I'm sure you'll get it."

Tomorrow? But that was… "That's my birthday! Wait, how did you know? I can't remember talking about that..."

"That's because you told me before everything with Nova happened. I remembered," she scooted closer to me, staring into my eyes. She was so normal—even with her eye colour—it made me feel extremely envious. I mean, how many people have naturally purple eyes? Oh well, I guess you are who you are.

"I'll be eighteen…which I think should be meaningful, but it isn't," I chewed on my lower lip. Dee was observing my actions carefully. This made me nervous so I blushed.

She laughed. "I'm sorry, am I frightening you? I was just thinking about how attractive you are…I mean-! Wait, no! That's so embarrassing!" she waved her paws in the air, all flustered. This was probably one of the cutest things she could do, and the most girly.

"No, that's okay, I know how cute I am," I giggled. She stopped her anxious movements to glare at me, "so you don't have to tell me anymore."

We were both quiet for a long while before Dee giggled and shoved me playfully. "I love you! You're such an idiot and it's adorable!" she paused, "well anyway, tomorrow will be the best day of your life. I promise!"

I smiled genuinely, which was rare. Dee seemed pleased and gave me another squeeze. I guessed the next day would be very predictable, just like Dee's birthday. Y'know, the 'surprise party' and all? Ugh, but I was still glad to be accepted. Maybe even too glad to put into words.

* * *

The next morning was horrible. My face was throbbing due to the bruise which, according to Dee, was at its peak in pain. She only tended to it slightly with ice and a few painkillers and gave me some of that cold medicine we got the other day (just in case). In other words I was completely pathetic and helpless.

"Okay, I promised to make this day enjoyable so…" Dee said as I laid in her bed. It was around ten in the morning, so we didn't have much time for fun, "Um, what do you want to do?"

_Well, I want to rule Pop Star,_ my eye twitched as that memory popped into my head. There was no reason for that to be there. "Um, I don't really know. What do you want to do?"

"Whatever you want to do," she said while pressing some new ice against my cheek. I shrieked so she removed it, "I'm sorry, is it too cold?"

My mouth moved but I didn't say anything. Dee helped me to a sitting position so she could look me in the eyes. "Okay, we'll try again," she raised the ice to my face slowly until it touched my cheek. It didn't hurt, not even the first time. I just felt like scaring her. That could probably be called sadistic, but does it matter to me? No.

"My bruise is fine, but I think I know where we can go!"

Dee seemed curious as she removed the ice. "Where?"

I thought for a moment. I didn't actually know where I wanted to go yet. That sentence just kind of popped out of my mouth. "Uh, th-the library!" I stuttered, coming up with something fast.

"What?" Dee asked flatly, "we can go there any day, you doof!"

"I'm not a doof! I'm smarter than lots of people!" I countered, "and anyway, I was kidding."

Dee heaved a sigh. "Fine. Where _do _you want to go then?"

"Huh, I dunno," this got me a face palm, "what? Okay, let's see…where to go?" my lower lip was victim once again to vicious biting. I just recently got into the habit of doing this. Of course I did it before, but not nearly to this extent. I shoved the thought out of my head. I needed to stay focused. There must have been many places to go, especially on such a nice day. Though when I really thought about it…maybe there weren't. Yeah, Dreamland is pretty boring…and lazy…and suckish.

"Marxy-Marx," Dee poked my un-bruised cheek hard, "there aren't many places to go, are there? Is that what you're thinking?"

I gave her my death stare, which didn't make much impact in this form. "Marxy-Marx doesn't wish to be called that."

She giggled, wrapping me in her arms. "How does Marxy-poo sound then? I'm calling you one of them, whether you like it or not!"

"If you do, I will eat your faces!" I yelled, realizing this would probably elicit a laugh.

"Aww, you're so cute when you threaten me," she paused, "I'm sorry to say I only have one face though."

I didn't know how to reply to that. I guess I would just have to go along with her, reluctantly. "Uh, Marxy-Marx is okay, I could learn to like it," I cuddled into her body, secretly hoping she would hug me tighter. For some reason she didn't and let go of me. I gasped while flinging myself into her arms again.

She laughed. "What's wrong? I thought you didn't like my hugs!"

"I don't, but I'm feeling a bit insecure now," I mumbled into her. Dee pushed me slightly so she could look at my face. We sat there for some time as she studied me. I felt embarrassed and my cheeks flushed red. Dee pinched my cheeks, trying to be gentle on the bruised side.

"Aren't you just the cutest thing ever? I love you!" Dee embraced me with a chuckle, "you still haven't decided what you wanna do yet, Marxy-Marx."

"Uh, well I want to…" I yawned a few times before snuggling into her affectionately, "I want to sleep now."

Dee picked me up and set me on the floor. "No, we're going to have fun today no matter what!" she covered her non-existent mouth, not wanting to sound angry.

I cocked my head instead of responding verbally. Dee mimicked my movements which, I must admit, was also very cute. Vowing not to be beaten, I widened my eyes until they were unnaturally large and let my lower lip quiver. As expected, Dee screeched something which made no sense and grabbed me.

I welcomed the comfort while nibbling on her paw. She didn't seem to mind, which suited me greatly. "Marx, if you want, I can choose for you," I nodded so she continued, "there's a new shop that opened in town. I've wanted to take you there for a while but we were both working so I never got the chance…well anyway, now I can!"

"Oh, that sounds like—FUN!" my voice raised as I said 'fun', making Dee jump, "Yes, yes, yes! Let's go!"

* * *

The new shop was placed just outside of the castle, making me wonder if Dedede forced it to be built there for his own convenience. Either that or the shopkeeper wanted to attract all the Waddle Dees as they left on break. That seemed more likely. It was strange that I didn't notice the structure until then, though.

"Awww, isn't this hat adorable?" Dee asked, picking a green bonnet and placing it on her head, "it's green too!"

I laughed. This store had no real meaning. It just sold small, cute things like dolls and fashion accessories. Everything was decorated in shades of red, black and green with frills and stuff. The fact that Dee liked it here didn't surprise me at all. It was like everything she loved was gathered in one place. There was music in the background too and it felt familiar somehow. It was kind of creepy and whimsical in a fast paced tone. Huh, where did I hear that before?

"Marx! I think I found some things you may like," Dee held up a giant, colourful beach ball much like the one I owned almost a year ago. I looked behind her to see a wide selection of the same types of balls. My face automatically brightened.

"Oh Dee! I want one, I want one, I _reeeeeaaaalllly _want one!" I shouted, hopping up and down, practically dancing. Dee took out her purse from nowhere, heading for the counter without a word. I followed close behind her, like a little puppy I guess.

After paying for a red, blue and white striped ball (plus a gaudy green hat for herself), Dee left the store and set the ball on the ground. "There. You can jump on this can't you?"

"Hell yes!" I screamed before tackling the giant round toy. I bounced right off the side, landing painfully on the earth beside it. I cursed loud enough for Dee to hear.

"Do you want me to help you onto it?" she asked, suddenly at my side. I shook my head but she grabbed me anyway, pretty much tossing me to the top of the ball. Her paw's presence stayed on my back until I was balanced. When she let go I wobbled slightly before regaining a normal posture (as normal as you could get on a ball). I cackled and hopped and around on it for a while, earning a little clap from Dee.

"Yeah! I knew I could still do it!" I celebrated by 'walking' with the ball, which was more or less just hopping in the opposite direction I wanted to go. This caused the ball to roll that way (don't ask how). Dee came along as well, admiring me from below.

We were originally on our way home when she suddenly directed me down another path. I did as she instructed as I knew where we were going. Well, not the exact place, but it was obviously a surprise birthday party. I mean, didn't they do that for everyone? So I just went with Dee as she walked down a cute path filled with flowers and big trees. I wasn't sure what to make of a place like this. Maybe she was taking me to an alternate universe where everyone is made of flowers…ooh…

We finally arrived at a fairly large hut made of logs. The windows had bright pink curtains covering everything going on inside. I asked Dee what was so important about this place but she simply waved her paw in my face, opening the door while ushering me off of my ball. As soon as we entered a bunch of voices yelled almost unrecognizable words as they weren't exactly in unison.

"Pretend felt!"

My composure melted and I fell to the floor in tears. I didn't even bother to look at who was here. Not that I could see, as everything was blurred anyway.

It was just that it finally happened.

I was accepted. I belonged.

* * *

**Author's note: I'm doing this in two chapters because I want them to be fairly short (as not to turn readers off of the story. The plot can do that alone, thank you!). I'll go write the next chapter now, in which a lot shall happen. Thanks to all who have faved or alerted. Even if you aren't reviewing this…thank you. (insert big teary stare)**

**All hail Lord Marx! Dokeshisan, over and out! Until next time friends and enemies!**


	8. Itsumo

**READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE FOR A BETTER READING EXPERIENCE (OR NOT)**

**Author's note: I have the time setting for this and Dissimulation now (so it makes more sense). The anime, it takes place ten years after that (and this is now a year after Kirby SSU). So that explains why Kirby can talk (say he's three-five during the anime, then he'd be thirteen-fifteen). Er, that means Marx'd be seven or eight during the anime…-_-**

**Oh, which means (I'm guessing) Fumu would be a few years older than Marx and Bun would be his age..? **

**Well anyway, thanks to ChaoCream, Awesome is Estester and Wolf'sBreath92 for reviewing. Ye shall rock for all eternity!**

**Ah, short chapters...**

* * *

8

Itsumo

* * *

After I fell a few people came to my side and helped me stand again. My vision was still blurred from happy tears but I shook them off my face. I saw Dee, Kirby and random braid girl in a perfect circle around me. I bowed and thanked them one at a time, looking up to the room afterward. It was even larger than it appeared on the outside, which surprised me. Unfortunately it seemed to be decorated by some kind of wild animal. They obviously didn't put much thought into it.

At that moment I noticed not many people came. This was expected as I had pretty much zero friends. To prove this my only guests were Kirby, the braid girl, Meta Knight, the braid girl's little brother and Simirror. I guess I wasn't very good at socializing without scaring people.

When the first few minutes of the party passed a cake was wheeled in from some other mysterious room. The icing matched what I wore perfectly, even the red and blue hearts. It should've pleased me but for some reason didn't. Kawasaki, who was standing behind the behemoth sugary item, sliced it tenderly into a bunch of tiny pieces. After obtaining one and balancing it on my head I sat next to Dee, who was chatting with Kirby.

"Hello Marx!" she greeted me in a far too cheerful tone. The way she said that made me paranoid. Were they talking about me? No, it was wrong to just suspect things like that.

"Dee was telling me about the shop!" Kirby explained. He sounded frantic, which I swore I was imagining.

I offered a grin to hide my doubts. "Oh yeah, it's great there! A wide selection of everything, right Dee?" I took a bite of the cake. It was vanilla, my favourite. I chewed it for some time, savouring each bit with closed eyes. This comforted me somehow.

"Yes, it was nice wasn't it?" Dee placed her arm around me in a strange manner. The motion itself wasn't odd, but it was her expression and how quickly she did it; Almost forced.

"You were talking about me," I mumbled with an awkward glance away from them. Dee laughed calmly.

"No, what would give you a silly idea like that?"

A grin spread over my face. Maybe it was silly. "Yeah, I'm just being paranoid," I agreed, "So what's the point of these parties anyway? They don't seem to have one to me."

"Not everything needs a purpose, you know," a girl's voice pointed out from behind me. It was the braid person whose name I forgot.

"Oh, that's right! You don't have a purpose either! I forgot your name too," I cackled uncontrollably after saying this sentence.

The girl crossed her arms. "Like your purpose is any better. And my name is _Fumu_. I expect you to remember that!"

My mouth shut in a desperate attempt to seal the laughter but it escaped somehow. Dee grasped me, turning me so she could look into my eyes. I just laughed into her face, so she giggled too. We both sat there for some time, laughing our asses off. This probably wasn't the most healthy or sane thing ever, but damn did it feel good. Dee was the first to stop, slapping her paw over my mouth so I would stop as well.

I snapped out of it and looked seriously at Fumu. "You're right. I should respect you. You're one of the only intellectual beings here besides myself, Meta Knight and Dee here. The rest are below average, or better put, idiots."

"Hey!" a few people growled in unison around us. I hadn't noticed they were listening.

"I don't think Dee is that smart. Normal maybe, but not particularly brilliant," Fumu pointed out to me. I didn't respond to her and instead nibbled on my cake once again, "Are you ignoring me on purpose?"

Dee waved her paw at Fumu. "Don't mind Marx! He isn't being mean or anything, so don't be angry with him!" she pleaded. My mind was once again engulfed in the thought of cake, so I wasn't really listening.

"Um, what? Are you calling him crazy? I mean, I agree but…"

"Marx isn't crazy!" I retorted in the third person, "he's unique and all unique people are seen as crazy. Uh-huh."

There was silence following this sentence. Fumu covered her mouth to suppress some laughter. I picked up my cake with my mouth and tossed it at her. She covered herself but the icing splattered all over her shirt.

"Y-you…YOU!" Fumu shouted, "You sick little b—I can't swear."

"Can't swear? You suck," I snickered, preparing myself to run from her at any moment, "Are you gonna try to hurt me now?"

Dee unexpectedly jumped in front of me and waved her arms in the air. "No hurting Marxy-Marx! You can't! See, he's just too cute," Dee grabbed my sides and shoved me in Fumu's face. She then whispered, "Marx, try to look cute."

I stuck my tongue out at Fumu. Her eyes widened for an obscure reason so I tilted my head, puzzled. "You have a bruise on your cheek." She stated the obvious.

Dee lowered me to the ground softly. I grumbled and tried to point at the bruise with my tongue. This didn't really work. "Yesh, bwoose!" I nearly choked after talking without my tongue in my mouth.

"Marx! Marx!" Kirby suddenly appeared as I withdrew my tongue, "I have to tell you a secret!" he whispered loudly, pulling me close to him by my bow tie.

"What is it?" I groaned. He removed my hat slightly and cleared his throat, pressing his lips on my ear.

There was silence from everyone around us (meaning Dee and Fumu) leading up to the final epic sentence. I waited patiently for whatever important thing Kirby felt he needed to tell me. That was when it happened.

"YOU'RE A COMPLETE LOOOOOSSSSSSEEEERRRR!" the shriek hit my brain instantly and I fell to the floor with the words echoing in my head. The pink puff giggled, running away from me at top speed. It took me some time to realize I was still at the party, able to hear. I spit at seemingly nothing, then I heard a splat. My once blurred vision cleared to find a wet-faced, frustrated looking Dee. She wiped the saliva from her face as the nerves travelled through my body, making my face warm. She seemed just about ready to yell at me when…she laughed.

It was a warm, reassuring sound that eased my tense emotions. I let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't angry. She was happy; I amused her. I think the only thing I needed to worry about then was if she would ever stop. There were even little tear drops forming in her eyes which she proceeded to wipe away, flinging them to the side.

"Th-that! Marx! Y-you-! Do you..?" her words came out in between gasps, "That was hilarious!"

"It was?" I wondered. Dee patted my head with the happiest expression I think I'd ever seen. It looked so cute on her too.

"Presents!"

The four of us faced the sound of the shout. It was Fumu's brother, waving like a maniac from across the room. A burst of excitement rushed through my body. This was the first time anyone ever gave me a present for my birthday. Yes, this could possibly be the most enjoyable day in my whole life.

"Marx, are you awake?" Dee giggled, standing. She tugged me up by my hat violently, "C'mon! The presents are for you after all."

"Pressies…" I mumbled, only half aware as we rushed over to where everyone else was standing. The boy (Fumu's brother) passed me a small box with silver wrapping. The tag on the side had some kind of messy scrawl all over it. It said 'Kby.' I sighed. Kirby couldn't even spell his name right. That was pretty comical if you think about it.

"Kiiiiirbyyyy," I whined, "You spelled your own name wrong…you have no goddamn right to call me a loser!"

He responded with a big grin. I took my attention away from the annoying blob and back to his present for me. It had such shiny wrapping, kind of metallic. I tore it with my teeth and it made a crisp 'rip' sound. The contents of the inner box was a snow globe. Two little people were trotting down a dirt path wearing hats and scarves. It made me feel envious of their happiness.

"Do you like it?" Dee asked at my side. My head moved up and down on its own. It actually created an empty mood in the pit of my stomach, but she didn't need to know that. I could never upset Dee with silly things like this.

Another gift was shoved in my face. It was wrapped messily in three shades of green. This was obviously Dee's. I was careful with this one, opening it gently instead of ripping anything. I was quite surprised to see a hand sewn pillow with my name embroidered untidily on the top corner. It added to my emptiness and I couldn't explain why. I felt guilty for not being happy. I wanted to tell someone and apologize, but it would probably be better to lie. Then no one would be angry or disappointed with me.

"It took me a long time to make," Dee took the pillow from me and studied it, "I'm pretty happy with how it turned out though. I can tell it makes you feel good too by your face!" she kissed my forehead in a loving manner. This small action quelled some of the horrid emotion I felt.

"I do," I murmured. There seemed to be no more presents for me after that. I guess the extent of people's caring only goes so far. It didn't matter though, as long as they were here. As long as they recognized this important day for me. As long as they knew I existed, it would all be okay. Yeah, everything would be okay.

"Alright, free leftover cake!" Kawasaki announced. Kirby was first in line, of course, followed by Fumu's brother (Bun, I think?) and Simirror. They were all so cheerful it was almost sickening to me.

"Marx?" a nudge from Dee, "Marx, aren't you hungry?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm too happy to eat."

She seemed content with this response and snuggled me accordingly.

* * *

After the party Dee wanted to help clean with the others for a while. I agreed to wait outside as I figured she wished to be alone with her friends. So I stood in the woods, whistling some song that popped into my head. I wonder where it came from. Maybe something my mom sang to me when I was little? No, that couldn't be it. I Would never remember something like that.

"Marx," I gasped at the sound of someone saying my voice. It was Meta Knight who possessed a teeny gift in his gloved hand. The wrapping was so neat it looked professionally wrapped, though I knew it wasn't. He placed it on the ground in front of me, "open this," He ordered.

"Ah…okay!" I took it in my mouth, tearing the wrapping off like a hyperactive kid on their birthday (which I was, technically). There was a little box inside, sort of like a mini version of what I gave Dee a few months ago. It opened itself and played the same song as Dee's did, but in a higher pitch. Meta Knight took the wrapping from me and tucked it somewhere inside his cape.

"I shall throw this away for you," he grumbled, "You should like this. It took me many days to find."

I cocked my head to the side. "But…why would you go to all this trouble for me? It's not like we're friends or anything."

"I understand you," Meta Knight began to walk toward the house, "we may seem very different yet we have much in common," he turned his head slightly to me, "if something bothers you remember that Dee is always there for you. I don't have someone like her, so for my sake, if not your own, tell her what might be on your mind. There is no need to hurt in silence." With that he left me all alone to be confused.

"Wuh?" I asked the unresponsive air, "what does he mean? I-I feel bad now. Is he hurt? I'm sorry…I'm sorry," I repeated those two words a few times before falling to the ground. I felt so guilty. Not just for Meta Knight but because I wasn't happy. I should've been overjoyed with everyone and be in tears with thanks. Why wasn't I? What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I be normal and feel good like everyone else? It wasn't fair. I wanted to be like them too.

"Marxy-Marx, it's time to go home," a paw, presumably Dee's, nudged my side, "wake up please. You can sleep in the bed tonight if you want. Marx?" she held my face in her paws and grew serious, "why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled with tears pouring down my cheeks, "I'm sorry I'm not happy. I wanna be, I wanna thank you and I wanna feel like you do. Is there something wrong with me? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so—"

"Stop apologizing," she demanded, "nothing is wrong with you. You're almost perfect, but no one is totally right? So um, I love you. Is that the right thing to say..? No, if you want to talk then…then that'd be okay!" her arms waved in a few directions frantically, being careful not to hit me, "I-I'm really not that good at this. I mean, sometimes but…uh…"

I laughed even though my eyes were still wet. "No that's okay. I feel a bit better now," I suddenly remembered what Meta Knight said only minutes ago, "can we talk about it when we get home though?"

"Of course!" Dee picked me up and cradled me like a baby. This was probably hard for her but she also seemed to enjoy it. I did too. It had been a while since I was held like this. Maybe even years. I could barely remember what it was like, just fuzzy, warm memories. I wonder who it was that carried me…

"I love you too," I whispered, finally responding to that sentence she said earlier. Dee hugged me a bit tighter with a snuggle. Maybe, just maybe, I could call this the best moment of my life. It wasn't like the selfishly triumphant feeling I had when I made my wish on Nova or even the one I had when I first made friends with anyone (though that was a joke so they could make fun of me, it still felt good). This feeling…it was different. It was the purest thing in the world with no catches whatsoever. What was it? Was it…love? Yes, love.

Never ending love.

* * *

**Author's note: Such a cute ending :O The title…it means always, if you didn't know that (A lot of you might). And I finally put Meta Knight in it, being nice in his weird ways XD! He's definitely growing on me, which is why I made him do that! :3**

**Oh and I'm sorry this took a while to update. I'll be faster for the next chapter, hopefully in time for Valentine's Day! Yep, one event after the other. There won't be much 'excitement' for some time (meaning no violence or anything). Huh, I still hope you enjoy this. I don't like writing action or violence and what not, but if you want I could…maybe…no, probably not. XD**

**I mean, this is a hurt/comfort/romance. C'mon. But, but…well, you'll see.**


	9. Compassion is a Useless Affection

**Author's note: Konichiwa! I got it up just in time, or not depending on where you live. So, happy Valentine's Day or belated Valentine's Day! I hope you enjoy! **

**Marx: If you don't…I'LL EAT YA!**

**Dokeshisan: -_-'**

**Marx: Sorry. You have to guess the song this time! Heeheehee!**

**Dokeshisan: It's Joker by the vocaloid Gakupo Kamui. (Miku has a version too) It's only one of the translations.**

**Marx: Yer no fun! D8**

**

* * *

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9

Compassion is a Useless Affection

* * *

"Guess what February fourteenth is?" Dee shouted at me the following morning. I was still half asleep, chewing on a piece of toast with an idiotic expression on my face. I looked at her, feeling numb.

"Val'tines Dah," I slurred sleepily before collapsing onto the table top. A bit of drool slipped out of my mouth and onto the cool wood.

Dee tapped the table next to me a few times to draw my attention. It didn't work. "Silly Marx. It's time to wake up now! Marx?"

I fell from my chair and onto the floor, curling into a ball. I was tired because of the nightmares I had last night. They were horrible and kept me awake for most of the night. Still, I could barely remember much about them. Not that I wanted to, of course. That would probably frighten the life out of me.

"Marx," Dee whispered, picking me up so she could hold me in her arms, "you still look sick. Are you okay?" she rocked me to and fro like I was her baby or something. This just added to my theory that she would make an excellent mother one day. If she was this affectionate with me, I could hardly imagine what she would be like with her own actual baby. This thought made me smile. Dee taking care of a little kid…the vision pleased me.

"Dee, coffee!" I demanded abruptly in a raspy morning voice. She set me on the floor with a head pat and left for the 'kitchen.' I yawned while watching her screw around over there for a while. She held up a tea pot triumphantly, "that's tea, idiot."

Dee poured the liquid into a mug, returning to me with it. "Nope, I put the coffee in a tea pot this time!"

She sounded so proud, I wasn't about to burst her bubble with cruel laughter. That would just be wrong, so I took a sip of the coffee instead. It tasted so good and the caffeine seemed to perk me up instantly. "Thanks. That was really nice…even if it was out of a tea pot."

"Don't you like tea?" she inquired, "I've never thought of asking."

I shook my head. "Nah, not really. Hey, what were you saying about Valentine's Day?"

Dee didn't answer. She studied my face as I sipped my coffee, pressing her paw on my cheek. I shut my eyes, giving her a pleased smile to which she laughed. "It's nothing. I'm glad your fever went down, you look so healthy now! Oh but, where did your ball go?"

"Ba—oh!" after another sip of coffee I explained, "Yeah, I went back to the house yesterday and found it there. I think it's in the closet now."

She gazed at the closet and an excited expression crossed over her face. I took the last gulp of coffee, looking at her as if she was crazy. She waved me away, still excited. "Oh Marxy-Marx, you'll see soon!"

I yawned and decided to ignore her. She probably had some plan for what we were doing on Valentine's day. That was so like her too, planning days out like this. She didn't go through with them much, but when she did it was always amazing. I admired her for that, if nothing else. Her ability to plan things was much like mine, though less sinister. The fact she could come up with ideas on the spot was amazing too. It was too bad we were nothing alike, or else the world would be ours.

"Marx, do you think you'll ever make up with Grill?"

"Wuh?" I grumbled, almost sounding angry, "don't tell me you're going to force me to now!"

Dee sighed. "Well, no. It would just be nice if you could. Even if she hurt you, that doesn't mean she actually meant to. Marx, are you listening?"

"I don't wanna," a whimper escaped from my mouth. The thought of Grill scared me somewhat. It shouldn't have, but for some odd reason did. Maybe it brought back memories of then, with Kirby…I really didn't wish to think of that. So much pain went with the thought and I had no need for that to happen.

"Well, it's not like she's going to hurt you anymore, I'm pretty sure she regretted the last time," Dee looked away from me, "maybe I should've invited her to your party. Then all our problems would be solved, right?"

_Problems?_ I wondered. "Are you saying I have problems? Because I don't! I'm not…I just don't!" I was shocked to find myself in Dee's face. She didn't seem to mind my anger at all. In fact, she just took my mug and placed it in the kitchen sink.

"Do you want to help with the dishes before I go to work? I'm not sure what you can do," she waved to me so I obeyed, "well, it's not like you can dry or anything. How about...you just stand there and look cute?" Dee nudged me playfully while filling the sink with hot water.

I didn't react to her happiness. The guilt from getting angry for no reason at her bothered me into silence. She was never mad at me, and if she was she'd go out of her way to say sorry. I was nothing like that, and deep down I didn't really want to be either. Being nice all the time seemed like too hard a task for someone like me.

"Dee, I'm not sorry for being angry," I growled, "I wanted to hurt you, so there!"

"That isn't very nice," Dee commented in a musical voice, "so I'm glad you're lying."

I smirked. She knew me too well, way too well. I wonder if that's what you get for staying with someone all day every day. It was nice to have someone who understood me though. I wasn't sure if I was the same with her. Probably not, but that was okay.

"Yeah, I'd never mean that," I mumbled with my eyes closed, "what you said about Grill and all…I think I might talk to her tomorrow, since I'm working today. It's not like I have anything better to do then anyway."

"Eh? Really?" eagerness seemed to radiate off of Dee as she faced me, "that's great! You're really changing, you know that?"

What she meant by that…I have no idea. So I ignored her, focusing instead on the blue sky outside the window. Before I left Dreamland it was covered in a sheet of darkness and fog with no sun at all. This was quite a change from then. When I thought about it, I contributed to everything returning to normal like this. Maybe in a way I'd redeemed myself.

"I need to go soon," Dee grunted, trying to place a plate away in the top cupboard. She struggled a few times before sighing in defeat. I let a pair of golden wings appear at my sides and flitted over to her, gently lifting her from the ground. She opened the cupboard and put the dish away with ease. Dee hopped off my back to land on her feet gracefully, thanking me.

She headed for the door straight away, grabbing her purse and blowing me a kiss. I waved to the best of my abilities with my wings as she shut the door. After that, I heaved a sigh and sat on the floor.

* * *

I did as promised and went looking for Grill on Valentine's Day. At first I asked whether it was okay for me to leave Dee on this day, but she said she was working anyway. So here I was, searching for a witch who probably despised me. It almost seemed like she disappeared off the face of Pop Star after a while as I couldn't find her anywhere. I was about to give in when I spotted her outside a shop, eyeing the goods inside lovingly. She was completely lost until I walked over and shouted in her face. She jumped and attempted to hit me with her broom but restrained herself.

"Idiot," Grill greeted me angrily, "I didn't see you coming. Gimme some warning next time!"

I stared at her with a blank expression. "Wuh? Why would you say something like that! I came here to give you a chance to say sorry to me! So you treat me like dirt! I-I might cry…" I sniffled, threatening her.

"Well, don't do that," she shuffled her feet a few times before giving in to me, "look, I'm sorry. I gave you a bruise, didn't I? Sorry."

"That's better! That's the respect I deserve! Now go and buy me some expensive chocolate!"

"No!" she spat, lasers practically shooting from her eyes. A smug smile spread over my face, "let's just get this over with, do you forgive me, clown?"

I gnawed on my lip in thought. "Well, seeing you haven't done too much, I might. It all depends on what you get me for Valentine's Day. It should be pretty awesome since you forgot my birthday."

"What? I'm not buying you anything else you freak! Scram!" she batted me over the head with her broom violently. I giggled and snuggled into her, trying to annoy her. I barely even noticed how she said 'else'. "you have serious issues." she muttered.

A few people walking by were staring at us and Grill seemed embarrassed. I glanced up at her with big eyes. "Grill, you're blushing. Isn't that cute? Can I give you a nickname? Can I?"

Her cheeks grew redder. "No! You really are evil aren't you? Stop humiliating me in public!" she shoved me away from her and I fell to the ground with a thud. I scowled at her.

"I'm not evil! Never! I just want chocolate," I glanced at the store window. There were little teddy bears inside holding heart-shaped chocolate boxes. To tell the truth I didn't even want them too much. My only priority was to annoy her at this moment. "Can you get me some? Please, please, please?"

She crossed her arms but gave up in the end. "Fine. But you have to repay me after I do. So wait here!" Grill stormed into the shop and I waited outside patiently. I decided the chocolates wouldn't even be for me. I would take them and give them to Dee, then I didn't have to pay for her present. Wasn't I smart?

After about ten minutes I started to worry about Grill. I peeked in the window, searching for her. There was no hint of the witch at all, so I turned back to the road. The people staring at us earlier were long gone. I wonder where they went. Maybe they were buying gifts for each other and all that stuff. I suddenly remembered something someone told me a while ago about Valentine's Day. I believe it was that on this day girls got boys chocolate and on the fourteenth of March the roles were switched. Now that I think about it, that was Dee before everything happened. Did she seriously affect everything in my life?

"Hey, freaky clown, I got you the chocolate," Grill exited the shop with three bags full of stuff. The little bell chimed as the front door closed again. I liked that sound and began to hum with joy, "what's your problem? Take the bags!" she waved a bag in front of my face.

"Arigato," I whispered, bowing low before grabbing the bag with my mouth, "you carry deh resht!" she did as I ordered and we walked down the street, awkwardly carrying the bags with us. Grill seemed very nervous, though I couldn't tell why. Maybe I was being strange and scaring her. That thought made me want to laugh sadistically. I don't think that was it however. She must've still been infatuated with me; how adorable.

We finally reached Dee's house without much effort. The front door was unlocked so I entered and we set down the bags. Grill started to explore the room with great curiosity. "What are doing? Don't break anything!" I warned.

"What? I'm not you," she objected with little energy in her voice. There was a pause before she let out an _ah-ha _and exclaimed, "I found it! I found it!"

I suddenly realized where she was. "Hey! There are private things there! Get away!"

Grill waved a violet, gaudily decorated book in the air. "I found your diary, now I can read it! Nyah, nyah, nyah!" she crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue in a teasing manner, "Oh Marx, now I look just like you! Look, look!"

The rage built in my stomach until I couldn't take it anymore. I growled in a spurt of anger and rushed at her. She dodged, still taunting me. We kept going like this for quite some time before she decided to lock herself in the bathroom. I hit the door with my whole body a few times but she didn't open it. I slid to the floor, waiting for Grill to exit.

At this moment Dee conveniently burst through the front door. Upon laying her eyes on me a sombre expression spread over her face. She waved her arms around in that way she does. "Oh Marx! Hi, hi, hi! I forgot my purse at home, why are you here? Marx?"

I pouted. "I did what you said but Grill stole my diary and now she's reading it in the bathroom."

"You have a diary..?" Dee murmured to herself, shaking her head. She suddenly looked serious, "Don't worry Marxy-Marx, I'll get it back for you, alright?" her paw patted my head gently before she pulled a key out of her hammer space. She slid it into the keyhole (which I just noticed) and it creaked open to reveal Grill, who was snickering.

"Grill!" I shrieked while I felt my cheeks grow warm. There was some seriously private information in that book that no one could ever know. Not even Dee. "put it down right now!"

Dee didn't even give Grill a chance to respond. She rushed forward, retrieving the book for me. She then stuffed it in my mouth, as that would be the only way I could hold it. I placed it on the floor behind me, where I could protect it.

"I got it back for you!" she announced, proud of herself. I could see Grill over her shoulder, obviously radiating anger.

Instead of wondering how much the witch read I grinned with a bow. "Thanks. I don't know where I'd be without you, Dee! You really are everything a boy like me could ever want! I'm so pathetic yet you always seem to be there for me…" I turned away from her dramatically with fake tears in my eyes.

"Oh no Marx, you're such a gorgeous person! I should be the one feeling inferior," she argued, crushing me in an embrace, "just look at me, how normal I am! I wish I had your looks!"

"Never!" I wailed, ripping myself away from her, "your soul is what I need! Someone as pure as you, oh my!"

Grill laughed loudly at the side of us. "I hate to interrupt but…what the hell? That must've been the corniest thing I've ever heard! Nerds!" she cackled and took off her hat. A small pink package was removed, which she offered me.

"What's this?" I questioned, studying the box closely. The wrapping was fancy and detailed though obviously hand made. I wondered if she went to all the trouble of creating it for me.

"It's your birthday gift," she explained quietly, "I missed that day, so here you are. Please take it." Grill was staring at her feet, which were pigeon-toed. Dee took the gift for me (since I had no arms) and Grill finally looked up at us. There was a moment of silence before her face became a bright crimson and she made a mad dash for the door.

Dee shoved the present in my face. "Isn't she adorable? Ooooh, she's so like you! I can't explain it, but it's like she's a girl Marx! So cute, I think it's overwhelming me," she seemed to be in a daze, "here, take this before I faint from delight!"

I did as she asked and ripped open the belated gift. The actual item was covered by a whole bunch of tissue paper, which I removed. I was shocked to see what she gave me. "Calendar!" I exclaimed.

"'Calendar?' That's all you're saying?" Dee reached for the miniature calendar and opened it. After flicking through the pages she let out a giggle and returned it to me, "yep, she definitely likes you."

"What does that mean?" I snapped, looking at the pictures on each month. To my surprise they were all sketches of no one other than…myself. In some I was sleeping, in others I was smiling and in a lot I was angry. Maybe she thought I looked cute when I was mad or something. Either way, it was embarrassing that she would go to so much trouble for me. I didn't know what to say.

Dee stabbed me in the side. "Marx, is something wrong? Don't you think that's sweet of her?" she suddenly gasped and frantically ran to the door, "Oh, I have to get to work now! Sorry, sorry! I'll be home later! Be sure to eat lunch, okay? Okay!" the door slammed behind her and I cringed at the sound. I realized that I forgot to give her the few bags of chocolate for Valentine's Day and that she left her purse again. She was so absent-minded sometimes.

An awkward silence followed my thoughts. The calendar sat innocently in front of me, unmoving (one would hope) and rather dull looking. From looking at the cover reading 'CALENDAR,' a person could never know the horrors it held. I shuddered, but deep down a little voice spoke to me. That voice was cruel, cold, naughty and complete evil.

'Mess around with her and break her heart.' It said.

* * *

**Author's note: LOL, that scene between Marx and Dee that Grill called 'corny' would be awesome as a mini-comic! ….okay, I might someday. When I do I'll put a link to it on my profile. Promise! ;D**

**Okay, okay! Never mind that, the next few chapters will be fun to write (evil laughter)! After that I have the plot all planned too, so it should work out pretty quickly. If I don't encounter writers block, that is…ugh. DX**

**Must hurry to beat the block…all hail lord Marx, Dokeshisan salutes you! (runs away to write next chapter)**


	10. I Was Having a Transparent Dream

**Author's note: Gah! I forgot to thank people for reviewing! So…thanks to Walf'sBreath92, PikaKnight and DoceoPercepto for reviewing chapters eight and nine! There.**

**Okay, so here it is. I'm sorry it took so long…but anyway…**

**Please take the poll on my profile. :O**

**And iie means no in Japanese. When Marx says it in the context he does, I think it's considered rude. It's supposed to be, as this is Marx we're talking about! XD**

**Clannad, my fave anime! The opening song is where these lyrics are from.**

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10

I was having a transparent dream

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_"You're so weird. Stop bothering us!"_

_ "I'm not! Why are you hurting me? I want you to go away!"_

_ "No! It's all your fault anyway! If you would just stop annoying us we wouldn't have to hurt you, get it?"_

_ "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll stop, I'll leave you alone! Marx will go away and never come back! I'm sorry!"_

_ "Yeah! Screw off and never talk to us again! Go be a freak to someone else!"_

_ "And stop talking in the third person, weirdo!"_

_

* * *

_

I awoke and fell off the bed, though I couldn't remember falling asleep in it in the first place. A few hysteric shrieks escaped my throat when Dee clasped her paw over my mouth and pinned me to the floor. I gasped a few times and my body shuddered along with the short breaths. A waterfall of tears poured all over Dee's paw but she ignored it, concentrating on my face.

"Marx, calm down please," she whispered gently, "did you have a nightmare? Do you want to tell me about it? I'm always here you know."

I shook my head violently and the tear droplets flew a fair distance across the room. There was nothing Dee could do about this. I doubt she would even understand. No one could understand. "It wasn't that bad, just about my battle with Kirby and everything. I guess there isn't much we can do about that though, huh?" I lied, though it probably wasn't believable at all.

"I guess," Dee lifted me and set me gently on the bed. She then sat on the floor in front of me, staring into my eyes, "Marx, are you sure that you're okay?"

I nodded, disgusted that she wouldn't believe me. "Of course I am! Isn't that what I said? It would be nice to have someone actually _listen _to me for once!" I rolled myself into a ball and chewed on my lip frantically as nerves travelled through my body. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to tell her everything on one hand, but on the other I was scared to do that.

Dee's paw was placed on my body once again. "You aren't okay, are you?" she rubbed my back in such a comforting way that I couldn't help but feel content. I shut my eyes and smiled pleasantly, hoping she wouldn't question me anymore than she already had.

"No, I'm fine!" I insisted, suddenly serious. This mood swing surprised Dee, "I don't know why you care so much. It's not like it's the end of the world if I feel a bit depressed!" I jumped off the bed and sat on the floor, facing the wall.

Dee was silent but in the end she got back in bed with a sigh. She'd obviously labelled me unable to be helped. Was that what I wanted? Or did I want her to take care of me like she usually did? I shook the thought out of my head and tried to be comfortable on the floor to the best of my abilities. It was too cold to fall asleep on without developing a sickness of some sort. After some more time that was the least of my worries as the side I lying on was growing sore. I rolled over to ease some pain, but that ended up hurting as well. I was forced to give in and I climbed into the bed next to Dee, tightly curling myself into a ball again. Dee glanced at my tensed figure once, then went to sleep. I followed her lead.

* * *

The next morning was incredibly hectic and I barely had a chance to say 'goodbye' to Dee. She somehow managed to make me breakfast in five seconds nevertheless. That aspect of her amazed me, just like her ability to make plans almost instantly. I'd never really been good at housework or anything like that, so it was strange to meet someone who was so passionate about it. If it was up to me we would probably never eat and everything would be a mess. I could be so incompetent at times.

There was a sudden bang on the door, knocking the thoughts out of my mind. I glared at the source of the noise.

"Come into my secret lair!" I screamed, teasing whoever it was outside. The door fell open and Grill stumbled in, holding a bouquet of flowers. They were bright yellow and could easily be mistaken as sunflowers. However, I recognized them as coreopsis.

"Here, take these," she murmured, obviously embarrassed. A smile grew on my face and I took them, "uh, the shop keeper said they either mean 'always cheerful' or 'love at first sight' so I hope you like them. I mean, you better! Those were expensive!" she mocked rage and I giggled at her.

"Cute. Then again, it is you we're talking about, and you're always adorable," I complimented her with a hopefully attractive grin, after placing the bouquet on the floor.

She seemed shocked by my comment and blushed. "Thank you. Um, I," Grill took a few deep breaths before facing me with a grave expression, "Marx, would you like to go on a date with me today?"

I didn't respond at first. How could I reply to that? I had a girlfriend, though we'd never really been on a date before. Now that I think about it, it should've be wrong to label her my girlfriend. So if I went on a date with Grill, would that make us a better couple than Dee and I?

'This is your chance to hurt her,' it was that voice from the other day. It was pretty persistent for a figment of my imagination, 'take it, be the sadistic brat you know you are.'

"Hey! Don't call me a brat!"

"What? I didn't call you a brat," Grill said flatly with a blank expression, "Who are you talking to?"

I laughed nervously, realizing my mistake. "Oh, it's nothing! Hey so, where do you want to go Grill?"

Grill gasped. "You really want to..? Wow," she held her breath for a few seconds, then released it in one big exhale, "uh, where would you like to go? I'm not good at deciding these things."

"Oh really?" I let out a forced, obviously phoney, giggle, "That surprises me. You seem more stubborn than indecisive." Grill rushed over to the door and threw it open for me. I exited, nodding to her in thanks. She hurried after me as I didn't stop walking.

"Are you sure about this? Wouldn't Dee mind?" she asked. It almost seemed like she didn't even want to go anymore.

I sighed, trying to act frustrated. "Do you really think I'd care if Dee was mad at me? No. If you believe I would be, you clearly don't deserve me."

Grill was silent as she thought. We continued walking towards a non-existent goal, as we hadn't yet decided where to go. She stopped altogether. "But I thought you loved Dee. Then you wouldn't want to hurt her, would you?"

'Ooh, she asks many questions, doesn't she? This should take a few lies, shouldn't it, Marx? Then, you're good at that,' the voice purred. In my mind, I stuck my tongue out at it.

_It's okay. You worry too much, voice,_ I thought, as if responding. I then turned to answer Grill. "What is love anyway? Does anyone really love anyone else? It doesn't seem like that to me, I'm sure even Dee hates me deep down inside. Therefore, I'm going to show my hate for her too." I explained.

Grill appeared to be puzzled for a moment, but nodded in the end. "Yeah, I think I get it. So, where are we going, anyway?"

"Good question," I nibbled on my lip in fake thought. To tell the truth, I knew exactly where I wanted to go from the beginning. Now it was just a matter of not sounding too excited about it. "Well, I haven't seen your house yet. I'm not sure if that counts as a date, but it's something to do, right?" I peeked over at her, though not showing my full face. Luckily, she found this quite attractive and blushed.

"Nope, that's fine! It sounds fun," Grill took the lead and we began to head in the direction of her house, wherever that may be. I babbled on about what it would look like, hoping to make her laugh at me. If I could have her full trust, it would be that much more enjoyable when I hurt her. This thought calmed my sadistic side; I had the power to cause someone pain, so much pain. It was such a joyful feeling.

"Marx, where are you going? We're here," Grill grasped me by my hat and turned me around to face her house. It was much like Dee's house and Kirby's as well, the only difference being it was square. It must've been one of the quaintest things I'd ever seen too. Ugh.

"It's nice," I lied, "so are we going inside? It would be weird to come all this way and not even show me around. Not to mention how _rude _that would make you seem."

She shrugged and entered the house without unlocking the door. This struck me as strange. Wouldn't she lock it for her own safety? When I was given a chance to study the one room house, it became clear. There was absolutely nothing inside except a few chairs and a sleeping bag. Personally I would still lock the door, even if I didn't have much in my possession.

"Do you like it? I still have to buy some furniture and ship some over from my old home," she sat on the sleeping bag and patted the space next to her.

I sneered. "No. I refuse to sit on something so close to the floor. If you're the one treating me to a date, you should at least get me a better seat."

Grill moved her mouth but said nothing. She simply took a wooden chair and held it out for me to take. I reluctantly sat on it with a sigh.

"Well it seems like a nice place to live anyway," I bit my lip, this time drawing a bit of blood. I licked it tenderly, hoping not to cause an infection.

"Yeah, it's a lot like Dee's, isn't it? Speaking of Dee," she stood (which seemed pretty pointless to me, as she just sat down five seconds ago) and pointed at me, "Marx! If I can make you happy today will you move out of her house and into mine?" she fell onto the bed again, gasping for air as if she'd been holding it for some time.

A wide smile spread across my face, probably making my appearance quite creepy. "Maybe, as long as you treat me the right way," I looked away from Grill and to the wall, "if you do, I'd be willing to be your boyfriend."

"Really?" she exclaimed. Her voice sounded so excited that I wanted to laugh at her already. I didn't, of course. That could wait until the end of our 'date.'

"Yeah, really," I giggled in that phoney way again, turning back to her, "but you have to impress me, 'kay?"

Grill nodded with a determined expression. "Of course! I'll do anything for you! No, that's wrong," she shook her head, "I want go to a romantic restaurant with you today! What places do they have like that in Dreamland?"

"Iie," I stuck out my tongue, "There's only one restaurant and I wouldn't say it's romantic at all. Dee works there anyway."

Grill muttered something I couldn't hear. "Fine, what do you like doing then, Marx?"

"Reading," was my simple response. I then added, "I like eating too. That and watching TV, though there isn't much on channel Dedede anymore."

"Oh, typical guy stuff," she laughed after saying this, "okay, I remember seeing a book store in town. There was something happening today, I read it on a sign. I guess we could go there."

I shrugged, or I tried to anyway. I didn't really succeed without arms. "Why not? I don't think there would be much else to do."

Grill rose excitedly and grabbed my hat to drag me along with her. We dashed out the door (which she didn't lock again) on our way to the book store. The evil grin from earlier occupied my face once more.

_I have her, now I can harm her as much as I want._

* * *

It was disturbing that practically nothing was on my mind after we left. It really bothered me, to the point where my eye was twitching uncontrollably. I glared at Grill, who seemed to be thinking of something important. She saw me watching her and waved. I groaned.

"Okay, so is this it?" I asked, studying the small building. It was painfully boring in appearance with every little thing in place and no decorations anywhere. There was only a sign which told us there was something going on today, but if we didn't see that we probably wouldn't stay. I guess the owner didn't want any customers or he would advertise more than this.

"Free…brooks?" Grill read out loud, "no wait, books! Sorry, I'm not good at reading—"

"LIES!" I objected. Grill looked surprised so I added, "sorry, I wanted to frighten you."

She didn't reply and tiptoed over to the door, slowly turning the door knob. It was mostly dark on the inside, the only light coming from a lamp in the middle of the room. I took a step forward and sniffed it.

"What are you doing?" Grill hissed. She grabbed me and we both fell backwards onto the floor. I stared at the ceiling, then glanced down at Grill from the corner of my eye. She shoved me off herself and stood, as did I.

I walked around for a while, looking at the boxes scattered all over the floor. They had writing on them, but it was in another language. I wished I knew that language; it seemed ancient and useful. Maybe Dee and I could learn it so we could make fun of people without them ever discovering us. That sounded amusing.

There was a click of a light switch and the whole room was flooded with said light. A cappy was blocking the front door with his hand covering the switch. He pushed up his glasses and crossed his arms, as if angry.

"Now, what would you two be doing in here?" he inquired.

Grill and I were both silent before I blurted, "Give us all your cookies!"

The witch next to me did a face palm before she explained. "We saw the sign outside the shop and came inside. You're the owner, aren't you?" she smiled sweetly, being all cute and polite. Since when was Grill polite?

"Er, yes. My name is Biburi, but my friends also call me Bibli," Biburi strolled over to the counter and yawned, "how can I help you?"

"You're giving us free books! NOW!" I demanded, dashing up to the shop keeper and shoving my face into his, "and don't you dare forget the cookies."

Biburi was frightened for a moment, but regained a smile on his face. "I would give you books, but that sign is actually for yesterday. I'm very sorry to disappoint you."

Grill shrugged while taking me away from Biburi. "No, that's fine sir. We'll just have to find somewhere else to go. See you!" she dragged me along with her out the door. As soon as we were out she hit me over the head with her broom. I hadn't even noticed she was carrying it before this.

"Why does everyone always hurt me?" I mumbled. A few fake tears gathered in my eyes.

"Well, that would be because you're a completely insane, erratic, bizarre, sociopathic freak show who never shuts up and says stupid things," Grill stopped, probably wondering if she said every word correctly.

This statement caused me to finally remember my dream from the night before. It was when I was younger, when people used to say things like that and get away with it. It would hurt so much and I couldn't even fight back at them. I was so _weak _then. But now, I wouldn't let Grill go home today unscathed. I had to rip her heart to shreds and scatter them across the world. That was my goal, to share my pain with her.

"Yeah," I laughed, hiding my mood, "I guess I am like that sometimes! So Grill, where exactly are we going now?"

She paused for a moment to think about this. I tapped my foot impatiently until she turned to me with a devilish look on her face. "I'm going to kiss you now!" she announced at the top of her lungs, directing her index finger at me.

I stared at her blankly. "Well that's great and all, but you don't have to tell me. Just do it."

Grill growled a few times before heaving a sigh. She shook her hand in my face. "I can't do it. I just wanted to tell you because I knew it probably wouldn't happen, even if I intended to!" there was an awkward silence, as usual. Then Grill fell to the ground with a thud right underneath a tree. I watched her without a word as she stretched a few times and laid on her back. I soon joined her and we stayed there like that for some time.

After about fifteen minutes, something cold and wet hit where my nose would be. I shook my head and sneezed in surprise, looking at the sky. A sudden down pour occurred and I shoved my self into Grill's arms in a hasty manner. I felt her cheeks grow warm on my skin and smirked at her emotions for me. Just a bit longer, then it was time to destroy her completely.

* * *

Half an hour of sitting still wasn't good for my mind. It could've been for any number of reasons, but it really annoyed me. So of course I didn't stay with Grill throughout the whole rainstorm, as that would cause discomfort for me. Instead I took to splashing around childishly in the newly made puddles. After a while my feet were soaking wet and I could barely feel them anymore. My hat was the same, and I imagined it would take some time to dry. Dee didn't have a dryer either. Not that she needed one since she didn't really wear clothes anyway.

I was in the middle of cackling furiously at a puddle as I beat it with my foot when Grill called to me. I turned to her and she waved.

"Come out here!" I shouted to her. She shook her head, "Why not? Are you afraid of the rain?"

I could see her make the action of a sigh in the distance. She didn't say anything else so I went back to murdering the puddle in front of me. I first 'tested' it a few times with my right foot, then took a step back before diving into it. My whole body was covered in dirty water, but it was still refreshing to my skin.

"Marx, I should bring you home now," I jumped at the sound of Grill's voice, noticing her presence next to me.

"Okay," I agreed, "but I want to go for a walk first. Can we just go for a…oh." My vision suddenly flashed a bunch of psychedelic colours and I collapsed onto the wet ground. Grill slipped her hand under my body and took me in her arms. I struggled out of her grip and landed softly on the ground. I reassured her that I was alright and she seemed to believe me.

"So where are we walking?" she questioned. I took a few steps in one direction and gave her a look, signalling that she should follow. Grill nodded and took her place next to me.

We walked in silence for a couple of blocks, studying our surroundings. I'd never noticed just how nice Pupu Village was, especially in the rain. The buildings were all so adorable and quaint—no wonder everyone liked it here. Maybe I could even belong here someday with these normal people. Maybe they could learn to accept me…No, that wouldn't happen.

A few feet away from Chef Kawasaki's restaurant Grill halted me. I offered her a smile, knowing exactly what she wanted to say.

"M-Marx," she stuttered with a sneeze, "did you have a good time today..? Will you be my boyfriend like you promised?" her voice was barely a whisper and I realized quickly that I had full power here.

"Did I really say that?" I taunted her, which earned a glare, "I guess I did. Hm, I can't answer that question."

Grill looked disgusted. "Don't be like that! Tell me if you're in love with me!"

The grin I'd been waiting to reveal all day appeared on my face, accompanied by a sadistic, twisted giggle. "I was bored," I explained, "and you just happened to be my toy today. For you, that's very sad. But for me, it was actually quite fun. Yes, I had great fun today with you, Grill!"

"Wait, what are you saying?" she asked, a hint of cautiousness in her voice.

The smile grew until it caused slight pain for me, though I truly didn't mind at all. "I mean what I say; you, Grill, were my toy today. I used you because I had nothing else to do. It wasn't because I love you, or because I think you're a great friend. You just happened to be there. You're also infatuated with me, so I've been looking forward to this moment since this morning."

Grill's mouth fell open for a moment, then she began to cry. The tears made me feel so good; her pain was invigorating to me. "Marx…I don't hate you for this. I really just feel bad for you," she choked, "I mean, you must have some sort of problems to want to hurt other people. I don't know what those are, but I think you should deal with them."

"Oh really? That's nice of you, acting so selflessly. You care about me more than your broken heart. Touching," I wasn't sure how far I could take this without sounding like a total control freak, but I decided I was doing alright, "_I hope you rot in hell_." I added with a growl.

Grill was quiet and unmoving as she concentrated on my face. Her stern expression suddenly transformed into one of pity. "There really is something wrong with you, isn't there?" she mumbled, "I wish I knew how to help you, but I don't." her body began to shiver with the cold and she took a step away from me.

"You don't understand!" I exclaimed, fully exposing myself. I quickly fixed this by saying, "why can't you recognize when someone is trying to harm you? It's obvious that's what I'm trying to do, isn't it?"

She finally did what I'd been hoping she'd do from the beginning; she shrieked something that made no sense and began to sob. I grinned sadistically at the suffering witch in front of me. It looks like I won this time, and I would always win. There was no way she could succeed someone like me. Could anyone at this point?

"I…hate you," Grill coughed and stood up to face me, "I hate you! I hate everything about you!" she shoved me onto the ground but made no other attempt to hurt me physically. After a few moments passed she screamed and darted away from me like a frightened animal.

A wave of pride washed over my entire being and I let out a small giggle. The giggle gradually transformed into a shrill cackle and I lost control of myself. Laughter poured out of my mouth rapidly, though it didn't scare me like it did last time. Instead it felt _amazing_. It was exactly like the chaotic emotion I had when I succeeded in taking over Pop Star. I was so happy! Ecstatic!

Minutes passed and the cackles came to an end. My throat was still burning and I figured my voice would be raspy for a while. I decided that thought was irrelevant and looked at my surroundings. My eyes focused on Kawasaki's restaurant, the building to my right. I squinted at the figure with an umbrella, watching me. I gasped as I realized who it was.

It was Dee. She'd seen everything.

* * *

**Author's note: …I'm not sure if I enjoyed writing this or not. Huh, well I wonder how Dee's going to react to this. Oh well, you'll have to wait until next chapter! ^^**

**And the voice isn't something in Marx's mind. It's real, it's just trying to destroy him. You have to wait to see who it is though…+.+**

**Okeii, please don't flame! And also, I remind you about the poll! Take it, please! :O**


	11. You Must Go There Alone

**Author's note: Bonjour! So here's the next chapter! I'm thankful to Wolf'sbreath92 and DoceoPercepto for reviewing, you rock! This took too long to update. Mainly because I haven't been that motivated, it's just like every time I sit down to write there's something to distract me. Ugh. **

**Marx: Excuses…shame on you!**

**Dokeshisan: Shut up! You aren't even real! So anyway…Chapter title is totally irrelevant, but from the song Alice sung by vocaloid Miku Hatsune. It's the only vocaloid song I can write to, strangely.**

* * *

11

You Must Go There Alone

* * *

Dee's line of sight was directed downward as our eyes met. She pulled her parasol down to conceal her face, acting like she hadn't seen me and kept walking. I took a couple of steps in the same direction but she continued to ignore me. I then yelled her name a few times, still not conjuring a response. The rain kept beating down on everything, making the only sound. My whole body was soaking wet at this time and I could barely feel anything. I shouted to Dee one last time.

She came to a halt, turning to face me. I shivered and sneezed, hoping to get attention. Dee heaved a sigh before strolling over to where I stood. She wrapped her arm around my quivering body and pulled me underneath her parasol. I snuggled into her, hoping to warm myself, but she turned out to be ice cold as well.

After only a few seconds Dee shoved me slightly so I stood on my own. She seemed to be angry with me, so she must've seen everything that happened with Grill and I. If she did there was no way to tell how she would truly react. Just now, any person would be angry. I would have to wait for a while until the shock wore down, when she could finally realize that the person she loves is horrible on the inside. She would probably hate me for the rest of my life, just like everyone else does. Once she'd come to that decision, I would be alone again. Though this was expected, since I could never hang onto loved ones for very long.

I noticed, after a long time, that we weren't walking anywhere, but standing in the middle of the street. Dee was staring at the sky as if it was on fire, ignoring the thing I'd just noticed and my very presence.

"Dee," I mumbled in a raspy voice, obviously from the laughing just a short time ago, "Dee, are you going to hurt me? If you are, please do it now. I want to be punished." My head felt like it was spinning with pain and regret, and I needed that to end. If I was punished, I figured this would be lifted.

"What are you talking about?" Dee patted my head, acting like nothing happened. She gave me a tight squeeze, pulling me along with her as we finally began to move, "I wouldn't hurt you."

We were quiet for some time as the rain continued to pour down at the same pace, if not more harshly. I peeked at Dee from the corner of my eye as she swayed slightly with her parasol. She appeared to be delighted, though I'm not sure what this feeling's cause could possibly be. If anything, she should've been infuriated or depressed. Why did she insist on being happy? In the end I decided it would be best to stay cautious, just in case her mood suddenly shifted. It was always good to be prepared, so the element of surprise wouldn't affect me. I needed to expect everything.

Dee turned to me and placed her paw gently on my forehead. "Oh Marx," she whispered, stopping, "you have a fever! You really need to learn to take better care of yourself," there was an awkward pause as she studied my whole face. Her brown eyes examined each one of my facial features, being careful not to miss anything. When she was finished, she shifted the parasol so it covered me more than her.

I pouted in response to her actions, but she seemed not to mind. We continued down the street, once again drowning in silence. I noticed the rain was less intense than before, though it could've been my imagination. If it kept up like this, the town may be flooded. No, that was probably the least of my worries.

At last we reached the avenue where Dee's home was situated. It looked much different than earlier now that everything was soaking wet and grey. Puddles were even deeper here and I feared that either Dee or I would fall in one. She glanced at my worried expression and giggled, hugging me with one arm. I twitched at her touch, but kept walking along with her.

"We're home!" Dee shouted as she closed her parasol and began to unlock the door. I fidgeted and took quick glances at our surroundings, not really paying attention to what my eyes saw, as my mind was on other things.

"Marx, did you hear me? We're home," Dee waved her paw in front of my face and I didn't respond, "are you okay? Do you feel sick yet?"

I shook my head violently, making myself dizzy. "No, I'm okay. I just feel sleepy, and hungry too. So um," my body shuddered with the cold still in my bones, "I'd like some hot chocolate."

Dee gave a warm chuckle. "That isn't really food, but okay." She shut the door behind us, heading for the kitchen just after we entered.

I waited on the bed eagerly for her, bouncing up and down a few times. Being with her made me nervous too, and I really didn't want to be here. To tell the truth, I just wanted her to hate me eternally, because that was what I deserved. Having someone love me despite my horrible personality just increased my stress. I felt as if I needed to live up something, even if I didn't need to do that. Even now it was like I didn't belong here with Dee. I wasn't worthy of it.

A sudden warmth hit my right cheek. I turned to see Dee was on the bed next to me with the hot chocolate, blowing the steam off the top. She made a happy expression and inserted a straw into the drink before sticking it in my face. "Here you are, Marxy-Marx! It's vanilla flavour!" she paused, "But then, I think it should be called hot vanilla. I guess that doesn't sound as good though, does it?"

"No," I murmured, taking a small sip through the straw. It tasted more like a sweeter version of milk than hot chocolate, it didn't even taste of vanilla. Somehow it still managed to have an excellent flavour, however.

"Do you like it?" Dee asked. She sounded so hopeful, but there was something else in her voice as well.

I looked into my cup, then smiled at her. "Yes, it's amazing," a silence followed my statement and I sighed heavily. Dee nudged my side so I looked at her happy expression, "What is it?"

"Um," she waved her arms around, flustered as usual. I waited patiently for her continuation, "love is like an orange! It's bland on the outside, but when you peel it you see it's actually sweet! Er, it's sour sometimes too so…" her voiced trailed off after this sentence.

"What?"

Dee shook her head with a horrified expression on her face. "Oh no! I just hear things like that in the anime I watch sometimes…no wait!" she took a deep breath to calm herself, "alright, I'm sorry for sounding strange. I just want to make you feel happy because you look really sad."

My face softened and a small giggle escaped my throat. "That's very kind," I whispered, taking another sip of hot chocolate. Dee was still studying me carefully, causing me to feel self conscious. As soon as I finished my drink, she took it into the kitchen for me, returning with a napkin. She hesitated, then wiped my mouth with it as gently as she possibly could.

"Done," she announced as she finished, throwing away the napkin. Her paws reached under the bed (which was almost virtually impossible) and pulled out a book. She sat down on the bed next to me, holding the book in front of herself.

I studied the beaten, dusty cover for some time before realizing Dee wished for me to say something. "What is this?" I questioned.

"My favourite book of all time," she explained, turning to the first page. The letters written inside were almost illegible, "my mother read it to me before she died, and my aunt did too. Dad refused to for some reason, probably because it reminded him of mom."

"Your mother died," I whispered in a voice I doubt many could hear, "I didn't know that. Was this book…hers?"

Dee waved her paw in my face. "Don't sound all sorry! This belonged to my great-great-great-great grandmother. I think it's the only one in existence and I want to share it with you." She held it above her head, acting as if it was the most holy item in the world.

"Okay," I agreed, pausing to process this, "wait so, is there a reason why you're doing this now?"

She stared at the book as if it would answer these questions for her. Eventually she looked up at me. "I just want to show you something that makes me happy! It has a sad ending, but it's a very nice story! If you ever have free time, it's going to be here on the nightstand." She placed it on said nightstand, then slumped back down onto the bed.

I bit my lip, desperately trying to clear my anxiety. I felt as if I should say something, though had no clue what that could possibly be. Something comforting, maybe? But why should Dee need comforting if my soul was the one more damage had been given? She shouldn't, so I scowled at her in an attempt to show my emotions. Dee gave me a puzzled expression which soon transformed into one of affection.

"Why are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?" she asked as if she didn't know. Of course she understood my feelings, seeing that voice she possessed earlier. Her feelings toward me were obviously negative.

"No," I replied, surprising myself with how frightened I sounded, "no, nothing is your fault, Dee. In fact I think you're perfect, and I'm sure everyone else does too." I directed my gaze to my shoes. The spite I injected into my voice was meant to offend her, even if it was only in a subtle way. By the look on her face it seemed that I succeeded.

She attempted to object twice, but in the end she was looking at her feet as well. Her paws made a few gestures towards me, almost as if she was trying to give me hug, though nothing came of this either.

I stared into her face, hoping for a reaction. Dee didn't respond to my actions, instead continuing her solemn stare at the floor, as I was doing earlier. She released a sigh though did nothing else, much to my dismay.

"Dee," I whined, feeling perplexed, "have you ever noticed that your name is really unoriginal?" as that sentence escaped my mouth I punished myself mentally. That wasn't what I meant to say at all.

"Unoriginal?" Dee pondered this for a second before giggling, "it's a good thing that isn't my real name then! My full name is Deandra, but I tell everyone to call me Dee! After saying that for years I guess no one knows my true name, except my father and aunt. And you, of course."

That was something to latch onto. "Oh, that's interesting. I never imagined that your name was something else! So I guess you can call 'Dee' a nick name, right?" I smiled hopefully. If I could just change the subject, everything would be great. She wouldn't try to make me happy anymore, as that would just lead to her asking what happened today with Grill.

"Yeah, I suppose," Dee sighed while placing a paw on my forehead, "Marx." She stated my name for seemingly no reason.

I sat there like an idiot for a moment, then realized she was expecting my reply. "Yep, that's my real name! I don't think you can shorten it any more than that!" the cheerful tone in my voice sounded forced and it was far too obvious that I was trying to please her.

"No, that isn't what I want to say," she shook her paw in my face, as she usually did, "I wanted to ask what you were doing in the rain with Grill. It looked like she was crying."

The moment following Dee's statement was one of the worst I'd experienced in my whole life. It was like time slowed and I was suspended in the air by a breaking string. With one word, after time went back to normal, everything would come to an end. I would be alone again, with no one to care for me and nothing to love ever again. I would have nothing in this world to live for anymore. My life would be an empty pit and people would probably resort to teasing me for it, as they did in the past.

Everything was going to be normal once again. These months with Dee were a treat and soon my living hell would commence. That was just how it was and would always be.

I took a deep breath, facing Dee with a look of determination. As my mouth began to open, my mental stability snapped and I fell apart. I couldn't deal with this, let alone talk about it or object. There was no way I could allow Dee to leave me.

"Please don't go away. I don't wanna be alone again," I mumbled as if saying this would help, "You're going to hate me forever! I can't tell you the truth!" I let myself slip off the bed and to the floor. It would be easier if I didn't look at her, if she was truly going to leave.

Dee was quiet, obviously wondering what the best thing to do would be. Finally I felt her presence slide next to me, wrapping her arm around my body.

"No, it's okay if you don't want to tell me yet," she whispered gently, "I won't leave you all alone. I know that's what you're afraid of, right? So, um, what do you want for supper?"

I peeked at Dee. She was staring back me expectantly, awaiting an answer. What she just said, it meant she didn't care. She would love me no matter what, something no one else had ever done. I was so used to being alone now that this moment seemed like a dream. It couldn't possibly be real that someone loved me to this degree, I wasn't worth it. I mean, I knew she had affection for me, but not like this.

"Spaghetti," I smiled a true smile. I wasn't trying to manipulate her or hide my emotions; for once I wasn't lying about my happiness, "and let's have ice cream as dessert! Do we have banana?"

Dee pulled away from me slightly. "Banana? I don't know if we can even buy that in Dreamland. How about vanilla?" she stood and placed a paw on my head with relatively strong force, "I'll go make spaghetti now."

I sat back on the bed as Dee headed for the kitchen. She always picked me up if I fell down, but I never truly trusted her. Until now, I didn't trust anyone. I always stayed detached from reality, which included people who cared about me. If they didn't accept this I deemed them unworthy to be my friend, weeding out a lot of people. In the end I was alone as even my parents gave up with me.

However, Dee opened something inside of my soul, allowing me to pour out my feelings to her. A bit of the ice inside of me melted, and I felt hopeful that I could even make other friends. From here my life was just beginning and no amount of hatred would destroy me. As long as there was one person loved me unconditionally I would be happy forever.

* * *

"We really need another bed," Dee announced as she readied her own for sleep. She removed one of the blankets and produced a pillow from seemingly nowhere, "use these for now, Marx."

I shook my head violently. "No! I'm tired of sleeping on the floor! I wanna sleep in the bed tonight…but I don't want you to sleep on the floor either." I tilted my head to the side, a puzzled look crossing my face.

Dee sighed. "Stop acting like a little kid. It's endearing but…" she was silent, probably thinking of how she could object to my immature behaviour, "just sleep on the floor for tonight. I'll try to save enough money to buy another bed soon."

After this Dee dropped the blanket and pillow on the floor, making no effort to help me create a makeshift bed. Instead she climbed into her own, turning off the bedside lamp.

I stared blankly at the two objects in front of me. They were barely visible in the dark and, to tell the truth, I couldn't be bothered enough to arrange them in the appropriate manner. That would take far too long for my liking, even if it seemed like an easy task to most people. For me, having no arms, the difficulty was enhanced. I was too tired from today to face the challenge anyway.

Dee wasn't facing me when I looked up at her. I guess she was asleep, probably having nice dreams (something I lacked recently). She wouldn't mind if I slept beside her, would she?

"It's worth a try," I murmured under my breath before snuggling under the covers next to Dee. She shuddered once, though made no attempt to push me to the floor. I let out a sigh of relief. I could finally relax and get some sleep, maybe even have a few pleasant dreams. Yes, tonight I could get proper rest.

"Marx," Dee rolled over and nudged my cheek, making me jump, "you're really annoying."

There was complete silence, if not for the wind outside. Annoying really was how she saw me, I suppose. There was only one way to counter this, and I knew exactly how. This strategic plan was fool proof and I doubt even someone like Dee could beat me. Utilising this idea, I could easily defeat anyone who teased me. It's a pity I didn't invent it, but it was still free to use. In fact, I feel like these words should be engraved on my tomb stone.

"I know, but I'm not changing."

* * *

**Author's note: Yay! Finally finished! I'm sorry if this was boring and mainly focusing on Marx and Dee's relationship, but there's nothing I can do about it. Again, I'm sorry for the wait. For some reason I just wasn't motivated enough, though I don't know what that could be.**

**Well anyway, I hope to update again soon! Please don't flame, because I don't appreciate that sort of thing. Maybe my writing isn't great compared to others' (or your own) writing, but I'm trying my hardest! I promise! ^^**

**I would also like to promote DoceoPercepto's story "There are Worlds Beyond This One." It's amazingly written and a definite favourite of mine! You should read it if you already haven't! :3**


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